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Masakadza follows women’s captain Mary-Anne Musonda in writing to Kirsty Coventry about the human costs of Zimbabwe’s suspension

Liam Brickhill27-Jul-2019Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza has written to sports minister Kirsty Coventry to ask for “urgent intervention” after Zimbabwe Cricket’s suspension by the ICC. Masakadza’s letter follows similar communication from women’s captain Mary-Anne Musonda, who had asked the minister to step in and resolve the apparent impasse between Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).While it was the ICC’s perception of government interference that initially lead to Zimbabwe’s suspension, the leaders of both senior national teams have openly called for the government to step in directly to resolve the situation.The ICC has ruled that the “unconditional” reinstatement of ousted chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani’s board is required to end the suspension, and both Masakadza and Musonda have thrown their weight behind this solution.”It is important to note that ICC, as the world cricket governing body, has made its ruling and at this stage it is pointless to argue whether they were right or not,” Masakadza wrote in a letter addressed to Coventry.”We implore you to get the SRC to give the game a chance and reinstate the recently-elected ZC board,” Musonda had written in her letter to Coventry. “Police action, anti-corruption action all that can always be done while we are playing and those found on the wrong side can then be arrested. As for now only one decision needs to be made: reinstatement.”The captains’ letters follow the statement from the SRC earlier this week, in which it insisted that it was up to ZC to ensure an end to the suspension, and that “SRC and the interim committee are not required to do anything” in terms of the ICC’s directive.”The SRC expresses its total confidence in the ability and willingness of the suspended Board members of ZC in ensuring for an outcome that is in the best interests of Zimbabwe’s cricket, particularly the players themselves, in the shortest time possible,” SRC’s statement had said, leaving the situation deadlocked as it placed responsibility for action on Mukuhlani and his board.Masakadza detailed the “catastrophic” effects of Zimbabwe’s suspension, emphasising the human cost of the sanctioning and warning of the dire consequences for cricket in the country should Zimbabwe not comply with the ICC’s directive. He also bemoaned the power struggle that has put Zimbabwe in this position, and hinted at a rift within the national team.”At this stage the whole issue has regrettably been reduced to a contest of who has the strongest argument or who has the power, when what is at stake are human lives and the very future of the game.”I wish to have it on record that our meeting last week was the first official communication by the Zimbabwe senior men’s team since the suspension of the ZC board by the SRC. I am doing this because it has come to my attention that there are some players who have been making statements saying they are speaking on behalf of the team. Their actions are divisive and in fact compromised change-room harmony during our tour of Netherlands and Ireland,” he wrote.Masakadza added that he would like to “dissociate the team from the actions of those players who were seen at the ICC meeting in London,” adding weight to a rumour that at least two players tried to talk directly to the ICC at their board meeting.While the Zimbabwean players who agreed to speak to ESPNcricinfo about Masakadza’s letter – on condition of anonymity – were united in their desire to be able to play cricket for Zimbabwe again as soon as possible, the response to the full contents of this letter was mixed.One player said that Masakadza’s comments about division did not fully represent what the squad felt, while another suggested that many were not even aware of the contents of a letter that Masakadza said was written on their behalf.Another said that whatever was in the letter, Masakadza was simply trying to act to get Zimbabwean cricket back on its feet and that many players agreed with most of the contents of the letter. Masakadza himself had not responded to ESPNcricinfo’s request for a comment on the letter at the time of publication.

Australia have had plenty of time to address but also rationalise the madness of their final hour at Headingley

Daniel Brettig29-Aug-2019Australia have had plenty of time to not only address but also rationalise the madness of their final hour at Headingley, resulting in conclusions such as the evident fallibility of Ben Stokes against Nathan Lyon, the impending return of Steven Smith and the fact that only one of the final two Tests need end in victory for the touring side to ensure they retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.Following a day in Derby where senior members of the Australian set-up, from selection chairman Trevor Hohns and coach Justin Langer, to captain Tim Paine and opening batsman David Warner, all spent time ensconced in discussion behind the wicket, the captain noted that Stokes, while seeming a miracle worker, has been riding a more than generous share of luck since Edgbaston.”Hold our chances would be a good start,” Paine said of how to combat England’s talismanic allrounder. “We’ve looked at, I think Nathan Lyon in the last two Tests alone had got him out five or six times had we held our catches or referred our lbws. Lyono’s still a huge weapon against him, and there’s some things we’ve spoken about with our fast bowlers where we think we can do things a little better than him.”But he’s a world-class player, he puts bowlers under pressure and makes them do things, and captains do things that you wouldn’t normally do. That’s a huge weapon England have got, and one we’ve got to try and contain in the last two Test matches.”Also read: Harris fights for spot with fifty to delay Smith’s batting comebackThose things that captains don’t normally do were relevant to Paine, given his struggles to find the right way to either cope with Stokes or keep his bowlers and far flung fielders thinking clearly when they only required one more wicket to retain the Ashes. There have been plenty of discussions since, not least a most animated one between Paine and Ricky Ponting to one side of the post-match presentation at Headingley.”I think you’ve just got to address it, we had some honest conversations and we know we made some errors as a team and as individuals, but we can’t be holding onto that, we’re in the middle of a massive series and it can happen,” Paine said. “We’ve moved on, we’re ready for Manchester, the group’s in a really good spot, if we were 1-1 I think most people would’ve taken it.”Without Steven Smith playing I don’t think we were given any chance of winning that Test match, so without Steve Smith playing I think most people wrote us off in that Test, so we’re tracking ok.”We’re sticking to our plans and our process, I think it’s working quite well and I said in post-match we’ve been in a position to win every game so if we continue to do those things and tidy up a few things we didn’t quite get right at the end there then we think we’ll be in the thick of it in Manchester and at the Oval.”Something that pleased Paine from the boundary was the energy of the players taking part in Derby. At the back end of a World Cup and Ashes campaign, Paine knows as well as anyone that stamina, both mental and physical, will be vital to how the final story of this series is told.”We knew we were going to bounce back well. Things like energy and the way we hold ourselves is something we can control easily,” he said. “We’ve passed that last hour in Leeds. We were tested as a group, we know where we can get better from it.”We’ve learnt from it. And now it’s about getting up for the next Test match and making sure we’re prepared as well as we can be for Manchester. I thought today was a good display by our team. There’s a huge opportunity for guys in this game to make sure we’ve got our selectors making really tough decisions.”

With their batting firepower bolstered, the hosts will hope to reimpose themselves in the format against a depleted Sri Lanka

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Oct-2019

Big Picture

Sri Lanka did not embarrass themselves in the two ODIs, but they did not come close to winning a match either. On the surface, their prospects in the T20I series seem even bleaker. Pakistan are the top-ranked T20I side in the world, having won 11 of their past 13 series in the format. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are ranked eighth, and will even have to play the preliminary round of next year’s T20 World Cup in order to qualify for the tournament. They won the T20 World Cup as recently as 2014, but their form in the shortest format nosedived shortly after. They have lost five of their last six series.Regular captain Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls in Sri Lanka’s most-recent T20I, but Malinga, along with many other first-choice T20I players are not here. Instead, the team is led by Dasun Shanaka, and the 16-man squad features only two players over the age of 30 – Nuwan Pradeep and Isuru Udana. As was the case in the ODIs, this series is a test for Sri Lanka’s next generation. Can the likes of 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Minod Bhanuka and 22-year-old allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga make the transition to international cricket? They showed glimpses of quality in the ODIs, but need to make waves in the T20Is as well, to really capture the selectors’ attention.Although over the past two years Pakistan have a good T20I record, their 2019 numbers are not quite so impressive, having lost three of the last four matches they’ve played. With their batting firepower bolstered by the likes of Umar Akmal and their verstility improved by Faheem Ashraf, they will hope to reimpose themselves in the format against a seriously depleted Sri Lanka.ALSO READ: Should Pakistan worry about Sarfaraz Ahmed’s form?

Form guide

Pakistan LWLLW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLLLL

In the spotlight

Pakistan’s fielding had briefly been outstanding, during the back end of Steve Rixon’s stint as fielding coach. Since his departure from their dressing room, though, their fielding standards appear to have slipped substantially – the ODI on Wednesday pockmarked by repeated ground-fielding errors, including a comically woeful attempt at stopping an errant throw, which yielded four overthrows as two fielders fell over in its wake. In T20Is, where an extra ten runs can mean the difference between a comfortable win and a very tight finish, Pakistan’s fielding will be under the microscope.Sri Lanka’s death bowling will be substantially weakened by the absence of Malinga, which means some combination of Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha will have to step up. Malinga has not had a reliable death-bowling partner since the falling away of Nuwan Kulasekara, with whom he had once built an outstanding long-term partnership. Here is a chance for the other quicks to showcase their nerves, in what is an audition to be Malinga’s death-overs partner.Avishka Fernando celebrates his fifty•Associated Press

Team news

Umar Akmal is likely to slot into the middle order, while Babar Azam is likely to open. On the seam-bowling front, they will have to decide between Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Usman Shinwari and Mohammad Hasnain.Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Usman Shinwari/ Mohammad HasnainWith Minod Bhanuka having played a decent hand with the bat on Wednesday, he may be preferred to Sadeera Samarawickrama. Pradeep will likely make the XI for his experience, while Isuru Udana is also likely to slot in.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Shehan Jayasuriya, 4 Angelo Perera, 5 Minod Bhanuka (wk), 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Lahiru Madushanka, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to remain good for the duration of the match, but given the cooler evenings in October, teams may have to contend with some dew on the outfield. The pitch is expected to be decent for batting.

Stats and trivia

• Babar’s recent T20I record is no less fearsome than his ODI record. Since the start of 2018, he averages 54.21 in the format, with a strike rate of 134, across 16 innings.
• Only five members of Sri Lanka’s T20I squad in Pakistan played the team’s most-recent T20I, against New Zealand last month.
• Pakistan have won 13, and lost only five of their T20Is against Sri Lanka. They have won each of their last six encounters in the format.

Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara then scored fifties to take India past Bangladesh’s total

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Nov-2019Stumps More legends watched live than Bangladesh scored runs. Two men went down with concussions. Ishant Sharma took his first home five-for in 12 years. Only the fourth time that fast bowlers took all ten for India in India. Wriddhiman Saha gracefully overcame all the late movement and apparent visibility issues. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli then scored fifties to entertain the night-time crowd. Close to 50, 000 spectators turned up at Eden Gardens.The first day of day-night Test cricket in India was unlike anything India had seen but eventually good bowling and good batting brought results with India needing just 57.1 overs to bowl Bangladesh out and then overhaul their woeful total of 106.So poor was Bangladesh’s planning for this tour that when a Mohammed Shami bouncer hit Liton Das, the only batsman who looked remotely comfortable, on the helmet, there was not a batsman in the squad that could replace him as the concussion substitute. Mehidy Hasan batted on as a substitute with an undertaking that he would not bowl to satisfy the like-for-like clause for concussion substitutes. That clause wasn’t much of an issue when Nayeem Hasan was sconed by Shami: he was replaced by Taijul Islam, another spinner.If anything, Bangladesh’s batting had even less to recommend them by. And while Shami was landing physical blows, for a change Ishant was taking care of softened-up batsmen. Ishant did a substantial part of the softening-up himself through lovely Test-match bowling. He drew rewards through the legcutter-like delivery that he had unleashed during the Indore Test: four of his wickets came with deliveries that left right-hand batsmen or moved in towards the left-hand ones.ALSO READ: The Saha masterclass on keeping against a swinging pink ballThere were times, especially in the first half-hour, when it seemed the pink ball wasn’t going to do much, but there were others when it went off the seam outrageously. India had to wait till the seventh over to get their first success, but that remained the longest partnership of the innings. It was the new Ishant meeting the vintage one when it ended. Going around the wicket, he went past the outside edge three times before trapping Imrul Kayes with the ball that moved back in, past the inside edge but at an angle small enough for the ball to be hitting him in line and also not missing the leg stump. Ishant always moved it away, but this was his new-found toy that brought him this wicket.Rohit Sharma then dove in front of first slip to pull off a blinder to send back Mominul Haque, but this was a false start for visibility concerns around the pink ball. Both Mohammad Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim were late on the ball in their dismissals. Umesh Yadav snuck one past Mithun’s inside edge, and Rahim played Shami on. The zing bails and stumps lit up pink.Not only were the batsmen late on the ball, but it was also now moving outrageously, especially after passing the stumps, almost as if in England. Saha, though, remained flawless, moving even later than usual to track that movement. What will make the highlights reel, though, is his one-handed catch diving in front of first slip to send Mahmudullah back. Not only did he take the ball, but he also made sure his glove gilded along the ground instead of bouncing into it, which can make the ball pop out on impact. It was 60 for 6, but it wasn’t even the lowest point of Bangladesh’s day.Shami now started to bowl dangerous bouncers. It was just before the middle session, the dreaded twilight zone when players have complained about the visibility of the pink ball. Liton was late on a hook, following which the physio gave him a concussion test that he apparently cleared. The next three balls he faced were 4, 1, 4, but he complained of unease again and had to walk off. The physio was still busy with Liton when Shami hit Nayeem too. The India physio had to come out and look after him. Nayeem batted through the innings but didn’t take the field. It will raise questions about concussion protocols: it is important to get players off immediately and not risk a second hit in the time that they spent facing high-speed accurate bowling.The tail was in no mood to get behind the line of the pink ball now, and Ishant made the most of it with legcutters aimed at the top of off. The 22 runs he conceded was the second-lowest for an India fast bowler for a five-wicket haul at home.Lower in pace, lacking the accuracy, Bangladesh struggled to create any of the problems India did for Bangladesh. The dew would only make it more difficult for them. This was a time they would have hoped to be batting when they chose to bat first, but instead they were now primed for some punishment.Yet there was a little bit in it for them: Mayank Agarwal edged when pushing at a wide one, and Rohit padded up to one that seamed back in. Pujara and Kohli were alert, though, and it didn’t help Bangladesh that their cover fielder – mostly Mahmudullah – was ordinary throughout the evening. There were enough loose balls on offer for both batsmen to keep scoring at a fair clip. Pujara, though, got one that kicked at him to make it four straight fifties without a century. Kohli, who became the fastest man to 5000 runs as captain, played some delightful drives in his unbeaten half-century and looked set for a century.

She will be replaced in the squad by Guyanese allrounder Cherry-Ann Fraser

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2019West Indies’ captain Stafanie Taylor has been ruled out of the ongoing women’s T20I series against India after sustaining a ligament sprain last week. She will be replaced in the squad by Guyanese allrounder Cherry-Ann Fraser, while Anisa Mohammed will stand in as captain for the remainder of the series.”It is very disappointing to lose Stafanie at this crucial time and she will no doubt be missed but her health and recovery are of utmost importance,” Ann Browne-John, the lead selector of CWI’s women’s and girls selection panel, said.”We have the ICC T20 World Cup in a few months and it is critical that Stafanie gets the time to recover and return to full fitness.”Taylor had been one of West Indies’ key players in the three-match ODI series that preceded the T20Is, racking up scores of 94, 20 and 79. She, however, sat out the first T20I at Gros Islet, which West Indies lost by 84 runs.

England captain falls to No. 11 on ICC rankings after disappointing first Test in New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2019Joe Root has dropped out of the world’s Test batting top 10 for the first time in more than five years.Root fell to 11th in the latest ICC rankings, released on Tuesday, after scores of two and 11 in England’s innings defeat in the first Test against New Zealand.With an average of 27.40 from 10 Tests this year compared with 47.35 for his career, it is the first time since August 2014 that Root – who was the world’s No. 1 batsman in August 2015 – has sat outside the top 10. His figures have also fallen since he took over the England Test captaincy in 2017, averaging 39.70 since then compared with 52.80 beforehand.Root said it was “an easy excuse” to say his captaincy had led to his poor form with the bat.”I’ve had a rough time in terms of scores,” Root said. “I’m working hard. You have to go through a bit of a dip. The fact I’m captain, it’s an easy excuse to use. I’m going to have to keep trusting my game because I’ve got a lot in the bank. I must not overthink things and just try to find that rhythm which allows me to get my innings off and running.”Also read: Who could possibly take over from Joe Root?Ben Stokes reached a career-high ninth on the latest list to be the highest-ranked England player in the batting rankings. India opener Mayank Agarwal broke into the top ten for batsmen, replacing Root at No. 10.New Zealand left-arm quick Neil Wagner moved up to No.3 among bowlers in the ICC Test rankings. He gained five places after bagging eight wickets, including a five-for in the second innings, to lead New Zealand to victory against England in the first-ever Test in Mount Maunganui.Wagner’s team-mate BJ Watling, who became the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to make a Test double-hundred, shot up 12 spots to be placed 12th among Test batsmen. Watling had soaked up 473 balls in Mount Maunganui – only Sri Lanka’s Brendon Kuruppu has faced more balls than the New Zealander among wicketkeeper-batsmen in a Test innings.Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne reached career-best points tally of 684 and slotted in at 21. Labuschagne’s 185 in the Brisbane Test was central to Australia securing an innings victory over Pakistan.David Warner, who endured a torrid Ashes series in England, opened the home Test summer with 154 and gained six places to move to 17th. Steven Smith continues to be the No.1-ranked Test batsman with 931 points, followed closely by India captain Virat Kohli with 928 points, having hit a century in the first-ever pink-ball Test in India.

South Africa captain expects to stay on until end of West Indies series in July

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth20-Jan-2020Faf du Plessis has admitted that the fourth Test of the series against England at the Wanderers could be his last on home soil.South Africa’s recent returns, du Plessis age and form, and the upcoming schedule present three compelling reasons for du Plessis to sign off next week.His team have lost seven of their last eight Tests, du Plessis is 35, has not scored a century in more than a year and averages 21.25 in 12 innings since October 2019.South Africa play only two Tests in the winter, against West Indies, before the T20 World Cup, which du Plessis has indicated will be a swansong. Asked if the fourth Test could be his final one at home, in the aftermath of a defeat which has made a series win impossible, du Plessis said: “Yes, most definitely, it is a possibility.”But du Plessis stressed that he remains committed to seeing out this series and guiding South Africa through their transition.”What I didn’t want to do is make a decision on emotion or where we are as a team,” he said. “It’s just about trying to be the strongest leader that I can be for the team. For now, that’s committing to this series. The worst thing a leader can do is pull the plug mid-series and say, ‘Sorry boys, I am out. I’ve had enough.’ I don’t think that’s what’s leadership is about. You have to stick through the tough times as well. After the T20 World Cup, I will reassess where I am.”There isn’t a lot of Test cricket left this year. There’s one massive Test where we need everyone to be as strong as possible to try and draw the series. After that, there is quite a big gap and there is an opportunity then to release some of the captaincy when it comes to giving guys opportunities especially in one-day cricket.”ALSO READ: One good morning can’t erase four bad onesDu Plessis is expected to relinquish the one-day captaincy as early as Tuesday, when South Africa name their squad to play England in three matches, starting on February 4. What is less clear is whether du Plessis wants to continue playing fifty-over cricket at all, after he noted that his white-ball numbers are better than his red-ball statistics.”If I am brutally honest with myself, at the moment white-ball cricket is where I am most successful. In one-day cricket, my stats are up there with the best in the world. In T20 cricket, my stats are up there, but at the moment in Test cricket, my stats are not where they need to be.”Du Plessis averages 47.47 in ODIs, compared with 40.23 in Tests. Du Plessis’ ODI average is the third-highest of any South African, eclipsed only by AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. He is also South Africa’s third-highest all-time T20 run-scorer. He considers his Test average as “not meeting the standards at the moment,” even though he recognised that his strength in the format lies in his ability to perform well under pressure.Now, South African cricket is in the midst of its most serious crisis, post-readmission. The administrative upheaval in the last few months, coupled with the team’s decline, means that South Africa are in possibly the worst shape since 1991. And that’s exactly why du Plessis wants to stay on, for now.”If you leave the team when they need you most, that’s not my style,” he said. “One thing that I’ve always shown is that I have been under pressure a lot of times as a player and I’ve come through those times. In tough circumstances, I’ve played my best innings. I think that speaks for itself.”I can’t leave the team when they need me most, as one of the leaders in the team. We are in a transition, but I can’t do it forever and it has been chipping away. For now, it’s what we need. I think it will make it worse if I say I’m out.”Du Plessis acknowledged that recent controversies – including the social media storm that has erupted over the dropping of Temba Bavuma – have taken their toll on him. “I try to block it out. As one should do. But, obviously, myself and everyone else are not robots. So it does get to you,” du Plessis said. “It’s about trying to be as mentally strong as I can and try to block out all the noise.”He also sees the value in this experience, both for himself and others around him. “It’s a character builder, you try and make sure you learn about yourself even in the toughest of times so you can be strong for someone else. You might go through it yourself but someone else might see something through you that they can learn from in the future. It’s a tough time but there is no running away from it. There’s no escape. I am the leader of the team. It comes with the job description.”With that, du Plessis reminded everyone of the task that lies ahead of him in the next week. South Africa must win at the Wanderers to ensure they don’t lose a third series in succession and fall further into the mire. On what has always been a pitch with assistance for bowlers, that means South Africa have to bat well and for that to happen, they need their senior-most players to stand up. Du Plessis knows that includes him, in a big way.”For me now it’s to be as mentally strong as possible because we need our leaders, our senior players in the team,” he said. “We need to be strong. It’s a tough time for all of us and we need to make sure we fight. Personally, from a runs point of view, I am not up to the level that I should be but I still have a huge role to play as a captain to make sure I lift these guys up to win a Test match in the next game.”

Speaking from experience, the former pacer said Hardik Pandya needed to give himself adequate time to recover

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai03-Feb-20202:51

Post injury, it’s not about coming back – it’s how you come back: Zaheer Khan

Hardik Pandya’s recovery from injury has already been a protracted process, and led to him being recently ruled out of India’s upcoming Test series in New Zealand. Hardik had undergone back surgery in October 2019, and hasn’t played any cricket since September 2019. His existing back problems had recurred during the T20I against South Africa in September, following which he opted for surgery. Hardik was optimistic about returning for the New Zealand tour but the BCCI said he needed more time in rehab, and former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has urged the allrounder to not be impatient and rush into a comeback.Zaheer, who is also the director of cricket operations for Mumbai Indians – the franchise Hardik represents in the IPL – was speaking from experience, having battled various injuries himself which experts reckoned cost him 100 Test wickets.The former fast bowler said Hardik should focus on giving adequate time for his body to recover from the back surgery and “come back 120 percent”, and not get anxious about returning.”For Hardik it’s important he should take his time to come back 120 percent,” Zaheer said at a Mumbai Indians Junior grassroots event in Mumbai on Monday. “I can say it by experience: when anyone goes through injuries, it’s not about coming back, it’s about how you come back.”Having missed the New Zealand tour, Hardik’s next opportunity to play for India could be the three-match home ODI series against South Africa in March, which will end about 10 days before the IPL begins. Zaheer wanted Hardik to look at the bigger picture and not immediate needs. “You have to be patient through that process and you have to listen to the team which is around you – the support staff, be it your doctor, your physio, your trainers. Those are the key people one should communicate with and control the controllables. I have always been advising everyone in the same fashion: you have to take your time; you cannot be impatient and rush your comeback. It’s about when you come back, you should be in for a long haul.”Zaheer, who retired in 2015 after realising his bowling shoulder “may not last the rigours of bowling nearly eighteen overs a day”, said Hardik needed to listen to his body first. “I will say this to anyone who is a sportsman and is going through an injury phase. It’s frustrating at times when you’re away from the game, but it’s very important to stay patient and do the right things and control things in your control. It’s about listening to your body, getting more than 100%, making sure you’ve ticked all the boxes, and then make a comeback.”Hardik’s last Test was the final match of the England tour in August-September 2018. Immediately after that his back issue had surfaced. In December 2018, he played his last first-class match (for Baroda against Mumbai) before heading to the Indian Test camp during the Australia series even though he did not feature in any of the matches. In December 2019, he told , that he hoped to be fit in time to come back for the New Zealand series, building-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November.”We thought this was the right time because even if I take four months I will be coming back before the New Zealand series, mid-way actually,” Hardik had said. “That was the plan that I play some international games, the IPL and then the World T20. The biggest concern was the World T20 which touch wood is now in place.”Zaheer Khan at a Mumbai Indians Junior grassroots programme at Cross Maidan•Annesha Ghosh/ESPNcricinfo

Zaheer, however, was optimistic that despite the absence of Hardik and senior pacer Ishant Sharma, who himself is recovering from a grade-three tear ankle tear suffered at a Ranji Trophy game last month, the Indian pace-attack was well-rounded – and well backed up by the “abundance of talent” on its bench – to deal with the rigours of Test cricket.”What was the result in the previous one [series]?” Zaheer asked, smiling. “I think it’s not about that; it’s about putting up a team there together. That’s the strength right now this Indian team has. The strength of any squad is seen with their bench strength as well.”We are in a position at the moment where the talent and pool of players we have is excellent, the roles are shared by different people. So, if you are telling me the team is affected right now, then I am with you (laughs), but I think it’s about keeping the processes going and the performances as a team going in the right direction. We are in a great space as a team at the moment with regard to that, just the abundance of talent available at your disposal.”

Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen return to bolster the batting for three-match series

Firdose Moonda02-Mar-2020George Linde, the left-arm spinner who made his Test debut in India last October, is in line for his first ODI appearance in the same country after being named in South Africa’s 15-man squad for a three-match series from March 12. Linde replaced Tabraiz Shamsi, who will not make the trip as he awaits the birth of his first child. South Africa have two other spin options in Keshav Maharaj and allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts and have recalled rested players Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen to the playing group.

SA ODI squad

Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj

The pair are sitting out the ongoing ODI series against Australia, along with Dwaine Pretorius, who will not travel to India. Instead, Andile Phehlukwayo will operate as the first-choice pace-bowling allrounder. South Africa have four other seamers in their squad: Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks and Anrich Nortje, with Kagiso Rabada unavailable because of a groin strain.That means South Africa will make the trip with an inexperienced attack, but they have countered that by including their most experienced batsman. Du Plessis returns to the ODI squad for the first time since the 2019 World Cup, and since the captaincy was handed over to Quinton de Kock, though he has played under de Kock in T20Is since. South Africa also appear to have settled on Temba Bavuma as de Kock’s opening partner, with Janneman Malan, who is currently in the position, left out. Malan made his debut alongside de Kock on Saturday night in Paarl but made a first-ball duck and left the field with cramp. He remains available for the next two matches against Australia.There is still no room in the squad for Zubayr Hamza, who is the leading run-scorer in the domestic one-day cup, or Reeza Hendricks, who made his return to domestic cricket with a century for the Lions on Sunday. However, with the next World Cup three years away, there is expected to be an opportunity for them in the future.”It is exciting to see the amount of competition for spots that we have within the team and in the franchises, it’s a good headache for us as selectors to have,” Linda Zondi, CSA’s independent selector, said. “We are satisfied with our picks for what will certainly be a challenging tour of India. We saw some promising performances last year from the T20 squad that travelled there and we wanted to give a player like George Linde another crack at the conditions which seemed to really suit him. We are also particularly pleased with the balance of youth and experience that we have achieved while our young leadership group continues to establish itself. We are looking forward to some good performances in this relatively short tour.”The India tour is South Africa’s final series of the 2019-20 summer, which has been a tough one for the new coaching regime under Mark Boucher. South Africa have yet to win a series having lost the Test and T20I rubbers against England, and squared the ODI series and lost the T20I series to Australia. They are currently 1-0 up against Australia in the ODI series.The team have a lengthy winter break and will return to action in May for a white-ball series against Sri Lanka before a two-Test and five-T20I tour of the Caribbean while there is also the option of a three-match T20I series in Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Hampshire seamer sought help through the Sporting Chance charity

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2020Chris Wood, the Hampshire left-arm seamer, has revealed an 11-year fight against gambling addiction.Wood, who has won four white-ball trophies with Hampshire since making his first-team debut in 2010, has not placed a bet since December 2018 after a long battle against addiction. He has regularly suffered from long-term injuries, which he believes contributed significantly to his issues.He has sought help through the charity Sporting Chance, set up by former Arsenal and England footballer Tony Adams, after coming across them at a Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) talk ahead of the 2019 season. The PCA officially partnered with the charity in March after 85 members – including 40 current players – were diagnosed with issues related to their mental health last year.In a Sporting Chance podcast, Wood began his story with his parents’ separation when he was eight years old, and recalled turning down a night out with some Hampshire team-mates after winning the Friends Provident T20 in 2010 in order to gamble away the prize money he had won from the tournament.He also described walking off the pitch after fielding in a T20 in 2012 and “not having a clue what had just happened” because he was only focused on whether the bet he had placed before the innings had won. “It was quite scary actually, playing there in front of 8,000 or 10,000 people and I’m not even present,” he said.”I was gambling every day and I started to get self-destruction thoughts, not necessarily suicidal thoughts as such but thoughts such as ‘do I have a place here?’ I didn’t necessarily go to the lengths of thinking of ways that I could do it but the thoughts started to arise.”All day every day all I wanted to do was to sedate my feelings through gambling. I couldn’t do anything else.”I have nothing to hide anymore, I am not scared of who I am. I like talking about my situation now because it gives me a sense of achievement of where I have come and it gives me a sense of power again that I can control my own thoughts and feelings.”I am going to have to deal with this for every single day for the rest of my life and not get complacent.”Ian Thomas, the director of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, said that he believed Wood was the first cricketer to admit to a gambling addiction during their career.”He has come a very long way to now be in a position to be so honest which I am sure will resonate with people who have faced similar situations,” Thomas said. “Chris has put in a lot of hard work and persistence to reach this stage of confronting his addiction publicly and as he explains, it has been a long process with many setbacks before he has reached this point.Wood signed a new white-ball-only contract with Hampshire ahead of the 2020 season, and was due to play for the Oval Invincibles in the inaugural season of the Hundred.