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“The request I made was for him to consider playing all formats,” says Puneet Bali

Shashank Kishore14-Aug-2020Puneet Bali, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) secretary, has requested Yuvraj Singh to come out of retirement and play for the state again in the upcoming domestic season. Bali is awaiting a response from the former India allrounder.It is understood Yuvraj has not committed to the PCA, and will need the BCCI permission in case he decides to take up the offer.Punjab has lost a number of key players to other states in recent years. Among them are Manan Vohra and Barinder Sran, who qualified to play for Chandigarh two seasons ago as locals, while Jiwanjot Singh and Taruwar Kohli moved to Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya respectively. Bali hopes a young team which is trying to rebuild will benefit from Yuvraj’s experience and mentoring.However, coming back from retirement may not be so straightforward. BCCI considers players to have officially retired to provide NOCs for overseas leagues. And Yuvraj has featured in two such tournaments in the past year – the Global T20 Canada and Abu Dhabi T10 League.Last month, Yuvraj spent time overseeing closed-door training sessions of Shubman Gill, Prabhsimran Singh, Anmolpreet Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma and Harpreet Brar, all of whom are set to feature in IPL 2020, at PCA’s upcoming international stadium in Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.”These boys were all undergoing sessions with our physios and trainers to prepare [for the season],” Bali told ESPNcricinfo. “Yuvraj initiated sessions with these boys while he was in Chandigarh. Over the last couple of seasons, we’ve lost players to other states, many of our players to Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Himachal. So we felt a player of Yuvraj’s experience and calibre could lend a lot of value and inspire the youngsters.”The request I made was for him to consider playing all formats. But if he comes back to and says, he’s available only for limited-overs cricket, for some reason, that will be fine too. I’m looking forward to hear from him soon. But as such, he’s been working hard with the boys.”In another key development, the PCA is also set to offer state contracts to their players. Bali confirmed the contracts list has been drawn up and will likely come into force from October 1, 2020. The contracts for this season will go upto April 30, 2021.The men’s category will have three grades – A, B and C. Grade A will come with a retainer of INR 8 lakh, B with a retainer of INR 6 lakh, and those in C – mostly for Under-19s and promising age-group talent – will get a retainer of INR 10,000 rupees a month. There will be 10 players in each of the contract grades.Players for Grades A and B will be considered based on seniority. Those in A should’ve played for Punjab in the previous Ranji Trophy season. However, exceptions will be made for those who have either represented India, India A or India Under-19 in the same period. “Essentially, we want to reward those who’ve performed in the Ranji Trophy, so that is first criteria,” Bali explained.The contract fee will be borne by the state association and comes outside the BCCI’s purview. The move is significant because at present, domestic cricketers earn a match fee of INR 35,000 per match day (for days’ cricket), and share among themselves 10.40% of the BCCI’s annual media rights income. An average player who plays all matches across formats in a season stands to roughly earn INR 15-20 lakh. This revenue pales in comparison to the amounts that players can earn from the IPL, with a minimum base price of INR 20 lakhs.”This will motivate players, especially those who don’t have IPL contracts,” Punjab captain Mandeep Singh said. “This is a welcome step, it will provide a lot of players financial stability.”The women’s contracts too will be divided into three, and will be valued similarly to the men’s. However, the number of players offered contracts will vary, with Groups A and B having three members each, while four players will be awarded Group C contracts.”We had a discussion in November last year, and then February, and then things came to a standstill due to the pandemic, but we’ve more or less formalised it now,” Bali said. “The men’s list has been drawn up. We’re waiting for our women’s squads to be picked before finalising the contracts in that category.”

Decision taken “in the face of debilitating economic challenges” following the pandemic

ESPNcricinfo staff30-May-2020Cricket West Indies has decided to temporarily slash salaries and funding across the entire regional cricket system by 50% starting July to deal with the “debilitating” impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has left the board facing a major loss of income in the absence of regular cricketing activities.According to a CWI statement, the board of directors have agreed to “a plan” where they can deliver “at least a minimum level of job protection” for the employees and the ones contracted throughout the region’s cricket community as they foresee a long-term impact of the crisis on their operations.The measures, which have been recommended by a financial advisory committee formed by the board, also include a 50% cut in funding for territorial boards, territorial boards’ franchises and West Indies Players’ Association, as well as a 50% reduction in all retainers and allowances for directors and executive management. The board hopes that the measures, which all stakeholders were privy to, will only be in place for not more than three to six months.”This pandemic is hurting every West Indian and this decision to cut staff and player incomes has been a very difficult one to make; one that will impact so many members of the cricketing family around the Caribbean,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said. “This business continuity plan unfortunately requires all stakeholders to make a huge sacrifice, but I am confident that it won’t be long before CWI will be in a position to ensure that the sport we love can restart and be enjoyed once again by the thousands of cricket fans across the region and diaspora.”In April, a severe cash crunch faced by CWI resulted in delayed payment of match fees of international and domestic players from earlier this calendar year, with Wayne Lewis, WIPA secretary, saying that the dues would be settled by the end of June. An audit into the financial problems affecting the board found a “massive hole” in its coffers. The report, compiled by external and independent auditors earlier this month, blamed historic factors for the situation.”The effects of this pandemic have been distressing for everyone – the worst crisis of our lifetime – and at present, we cannot be certain when the situation will be rectified,” Johnny Grave, CWI chief executive, said. “We recognize that this will cause financial pain for all our staff, players, coaches and umpires across the Caribbean, but having kept everyone on full-pay since the outbreak in March we have no choice but to take decisive action from next month onwards.”CWI’s greatest asset is our people and players and everyone sharing equally in the temporary reduction, we believe is the best way for us to ensure we get through this crisis and protect our organisation and all the jobs in the system. We will be reviewing the situation regularly with the hope that we can return to norm.”

Starc’s bowling will provide ample rough stuff outside the right-handers’ off stump, a key consideration given India lack the left-handers Lyon has feasted on of late

Daniel Brettig14-Dec-2020Nathan Lyon will welcome Mitchell Starc’s return into the Australian camp on Monday following compassionate leave ahead of the Test series against India. More specifically, he will welcome the return of Starc’s heavy boots to the bowling crease.The pair have been close over many years, underlined by how Starc stood up for Lyon back in 2012 when there was talk of a Shane Warne comeback. But there is also a very solid cricket reason: with the benefit of bowling into Starc’s footmarks at the other end, Lyon’s record in Tests they play together at Adelaide Oval is supreme.Over five Adelaide Tests since 2015, four of them day-night affairs, Lyon has plucked 26 wickets at 24.11 with a wicket arriving every 52.4 balls, as against his career average of 31.58 and strike rate of 62.9. Each time, Starc’s bowling has provided Lyon with ample rough stuff outside the right-handers’ off stump, a key consideration given India’s touring side lacks the left-handers he has feasted on in recent years in reaching the cusp of 400 Test wickets.”I’ve been working quite hard on bowling to right-handers, there’s so many of them in world cricket so it isn’t a new challenge for me, but we’re really just looking to compete against both edges, and try to bring both edges into play with catchers around the bat,” Lyon said. “So it’s going to be a challenge but very lucky to have Mitch Starc joining the squad tomorrow and I love his footmarks, so it should be good fun.”He’s one of my best mates and we talk every day. Forever talking to him, probably annoying him to be honest, but he’s pretty pumped, pretty excited. We’re really looking forward to having him back around the squad, we all know firstly the quality of bloke he is but also the quality of cricketer he brings to the table as well. Absolutely exciting to have Mitch join us.”If there were any doubts about Starc’s readiness to return to the heavy lifting of Test cricket after he missed one T20I with a minor side issue and then left the squad on compassionate leave, Lyon allayed them by revealing Starc had kept up bowling in Sydney, pink ball and all, in the SCG nets.”Mitch has played a lot of cricket already, he played two Shield games and bowled well down here in Adelaide, then played during the white ball series that he was available for, so I’m not worried about Mitch at all,” Lyon said. “He said he bowled with the pink ball the other day in at the Sydney nets before anyone got there and he said it was where he left off with the pink ball, so that’s exciting to know how good he is with the pink ball. He’s more than comfortable and more than confident and he’s got all our support as well, so looking forward to it.”We’ve got a few things lined up which are exciting, there’s a great vibe within the Australian cricket team at the moment, so I think we’re in such a better place than we were two years ago, it’s exciting and this is the tightest Australian team I’ve ever been a part of, so to have that opportunity come Thursday to get back out there and play some Test cricket, it’s going to be pretty exciting. But we’ve done a bit of homework and we’re ready to go.”Lyon’s own bowling has evolved considerably in recent years, making a major breakthrough against India in India in 2017 and seldom looking back since. Like the rest of the bowling attack, he is keenly aware of the opportunity to beat India now that the hosts will be bolstered by the extra runs of Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and, when fit again, David Warner.”It’s obviously disappointing when you lose guys to injuries and we all know what quality of player David Warner is, but I think both sides have superstars in each lineup, both got very good bowling attacks, so it’s going to be a massive challenge for both teams coming out to Australia.”We know what happened last series against India out here, we know how well they played, so I know as bowlers we’ve already spoken about that and we’re coming up with a few different plans to hopefully challenge the batters’ defence for longer periods of time this time around. We’re in a such a better place as a team right now, this team is probably the closest I’ve ever been a part of, it’s exciting, it’s a great feeling amongst the team, so it’s pretty exciting about the challenges that lie ahead.”Especially over the last five years my bowling’s gone to a new level and I’m very confident with where my bowling’s at. But they’re a very attacking side so they always want to try to attack a spinner, which is fantastic, I love that challenge.”

Melbourne Stars looked to be cruising but now their hopes of qualifying to the playoffs have taken a hit

Matt Roller20-Jan-2021An extraordinary, unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 63 in just 25 balls between Mackenzie Harvey and Beau Webster dragged Melbourne Renegades to only their third win of the season and put a dent in their cross-town rivals’ qualification hopes.Shuffling up and down the order, Harvey had struggled for any rhythm or form this season, and arrived at No. 6 with 71 needed off 37 balls in a chase of 159. But with licence to free his arms, he pumped three fours and a six in the Power Surge before punishing some shoddy death bowling with Webster for company to seal an improbable win.Melbourne Stars looked to be cruising to a four-point victory which would have taken them second after securing the Bash Boost thanks to a tight start with the ball, but instead their playoff chances are now in jeopardy. They sit third with 24 points, but have played a game more than the four teams hot on their heels, and play the in-form Perth Scorchers in their next fixture on Saturday.Mackenzie Harvey put on quite a show•Getty Images

For the Renegades, this was a happy homecoming after a 359-day stretch without playing at Marvel Stadium. They were already mathematically out of contention for the finals, but after their top five had contributed a combined 84 runs off 88 balls, they sent a 14,208-strong crowd home happy thanks to Harvey’s heroics.Harvey the heroThere was little in Harvey’s BBL career to suggest that he was capable of such a heist from the middle order. A slight, 20-year-old left-hander and the nephew of former Australia international Ian, he had managed only 268 runs in his 18 previous innings in the competition, at a strike rate of 118.58.He had generally been used as an opener rather than in the No. 6 role he played tonight, but his cameo of 29 off 17 in Sunday’s reverse fixture turned out to be a sign of things to come.Harvey arrived at the crease during a turgid innings of 14 off 18 balls from Jack Prestwidge, who had been promoted to No. 5. The Renegades had attempted to take the Power Surge ahead of the 14th over, but told the umpires too late and instead pushed it back until the 16th. When it was taken, Prestwidge was bounced out by Nathan Coulter-Nile’s third ball, but Harvey slapped the fourth through extra cover and hammered the fifth for six over backward square.He added two more boundaries off Adam Zampa’s final over, the second of the Surge, steering through third man and muscling over mid-on, before Liam Hatcher was taken for three fours as he sprayed the ball around in the 18th, with dew making it difficult to grip.With 25 needed from 12 balls, Harvey clubbed a juicy full toss from Coulter-Nile into the second tier, before Webster steered another through point then carved six over midwicket to leave six required off the last. After three singles, Webster smashed the winning boundary through mid-on to seal the win.Finch’s nightmare continuesAaron Finch’s BBL season has contained enough unfortunate dismissals for a 10-minute YouTube compilation, and his luck did not change tonight. He got down to sweep Zahir Khan in the final Powerplay over of the chase, but could only deflect the ball onto his stumps via the thigh pad. After his 10 tonight, he has managed only 169 runs in 11 innings.With Shaun Marsh falling to a perfect Coulter-Nile offcutter in the first over and Sam Harper and Jake Fraser-McGurk struggling to adapt to a slowish pitch, the Renegades were 3 for 53 at the halfway stage, 11 runs short of the Bash Boost target, and looked like they would come nowhere near chasing 159.Zak attackAfter winning the toss and choosing to bat, the Stars struggled for early rhythm, with Andre Fletcher soaking up a first-over maiden from Josh Lalor. Lalor bowled him with a slower ball in the third over, but Marcus Stoinis looked in fine touch, crashing six early boundaries as he looked to drive the Stars’ innings.When he fell in the ninth over to Zak Evans – playing after Kane Richardson was ruled out for the season with a quad strain – the Stars decided to shuffle things around. Hoping to maximise their 10-over total in order to secure the Bash Boost point, the Stars promoted Coulter-Nile – fit again after a calf injury – to No. 4, but the experiment was short lived.Shaping to work an Evans slower ball down to fine leg, Coulter-Nile managed to play on via the pad, and was out first ball. With Nick Larkin struggling for early rhythm, the Stars were 3 for 63 at the halfway stage.Larkin, the Stars’ fillipWith Larkin on 14 off 21 balls heading into the 12th over, Glenn Maxwell decided he needed to take Imad Wasim on, after managing just two dots and a single from the first three balls of his innings. But, shimmying outside leg, he skied a slog-sweep straight down deep midwicket’s throat, leaving the Stars in a spot of bother at 4 for 77.Nic Maddinson forced the pace with two heaves over midwicket and a slap through extra cover, but miscued to mid-off immediately after calling for the Power Surge at the start of the 17th over for 21 off 18 balls. Peter Hatzolgou, the idiosyncratic legspinner, picked up his second Surge wicket – and his fifth of the season – soon after, with Hilton Cartwright chopping on when cramped for room.After eking out 29 off his first 35 balls, perhaps trying too hard to hit boundaries, Larkin finally cut loose in the second Surge over with a slog-swept six and a slash through point for four off Wasim.Three streaky fours through third man and a carve through cover in the final two overs dragged the Stars up to 6 for 158, with Larkin finishing on 61 off 47. Thirty of those runs came between point and third man, including several thick edges, while ESPNcricinfo’s data suggested he was in control of only 62% of the balls he faced.

The last two Tests have earned the MCG pitch ratings of ‘average’ and ‘poor’, and the previous Shield game was abandoned

Daniel Brettig18-Dec-2019Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is counselling the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club) against overreacting to the abandonment of the recent Sheffield Shield game between Victoria and Western Australia by preparing a safe, flat surface for the Boxing Day Test match next week.Under pressure from both CA and the MCC to produce a more equitable surface from the same ageing pitches in concrete trays that have helped cause the MCG to be regarded as the most moribund surface in the country, the ground’s curator Matt Page prepared a Shield pitch that retained too much moisture, allowing divots to be created by the ball on day one that made the pitch increasingly erratic as it dried.While the abandonment of the match was a source of considerable embarrassment to the MCC, Roberts said he was eager to ensure that the pitch for the Test match between Australia and New Zealand on December 26 – New Zealand’s first in Melbourne since 1987 – would have plenty of live grass on top to allow the bowlers to gain movement and pace off the surface.”We’re really keen to ensure that the MCC doesn’t overreact to the situation in the last Shield game. The great news was that no players were injured in that situation. We learned a lot from it. And they’re not overreacting,” Roberts said in Melbourne. “And, Matt Page is a master of his craft and we’re really looking forward to him expressing that with his team… So we’re confident that there won’t be an overreaction, and that will see a better balance between bat and ball at the MCG.””The preparation of that specific pitch started around last weekend, and we can expect more grass on that wicket than we’ve seen over the last couple of Boxing Day Tests, and we’re really appreciative of the work that Matt Page the head curator is doing. Also the calmness of Stuart Fox, the CEO of the MCC in this situation, no one’s overreacting to the unfortunate situation a week or two ago.”ALSO READ: Timeline of a troubled MCG pitchPage is working with a square that has been somewhat renovated from the 2017 surface on which Alastair Cook laboured to 244 during the previous Ashes series on Australian soil, after the removal of the concrete slab under the wickets. However, they remain old pitches laid in enclosed concrete trays, distinct from the porous steel tray on pillars used at Adelaide Oval and Perth Stadium, both of which are now considered leading surfaces among Australian grounds.Roberts, speaking at a launch for a scheme under which the car manufacturer Toyota will provide funding for the provision of extra equipment for grass roots women’s competition, said the broader trend for the season had been a positive one, before the pudding was slightly over-egged for the final Shield round before the start of the Big Bash League. “Other than that, the last Shield game, the condition of pitches at the MCG has been on a significant increase over the last period of time since Matt and the team took the concrete base out from under the pitches and replaced it with sand.””The feedback from the curators is that it feels different to roll, the feedback from players is that it feels different and even sounds different to play on. It sounds like proper turf wicket now rather than something that’s more like a concrete deck, so we’re really optimistic about Boxing Day.”

The two had a 77-run stand to help New Zealand post 148, which was well beyond Bangladesh’s reach

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2022Amelia Kerr and Maddy Green set up New Zealand’s 37-run over Bangladesh in the second women’s T20I and give them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Dunedin on Sunday.Opting to bat first, New Zealand rode on Kerr’s unbeaten 30-ball 46 and Green’s 37 not out in 25 balls to put up 148. They lost two early wickets, of Sophie Devine and Georgia Plimmer, inside the powerplay, both to medium-pacer Marufa Akter, but Suzie Bates and Rebecca Burns scored 20 each to steady the innings. They were both sent back after the halfway mark of the innings, before Kerr and Green played entertaining knocks in a 77-run stand for the fifth wicket. Kerr’s innings had five fours, while Green’s had four.Like New Zealand, Bangladesh also lost two wickets early – Murshida Khatun and Dilara Akter – inside five overs in a quite start to the chase. A 45-run partnership in 48 balls between No. 3 Sharmim Akhter and captain Nigar Sultana followed. But Bangladesh were never able to catch up with the asking rate.Sultana top-scored with 33 and Akhter chipped in with 22, but they were both run-out just when Bangladesh would have looked to accelerate. From 81 for 3, Bangladesh lost five wickets for 30 runs and stopped 37 runs short.For New Zealand, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson and Fran Jonas picked up a wicket apiece, while Hayley Jensen struck twice in the 19th over.The third and final T20I will be played on December 7 in Queenstown.

Cricket Australia’s chairman Jack Clarke has conceded that the game could be better served with a less crowded international calendar when the new Future Tours Programme (FTP) is devised

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009Cricket Australia’s chairman Jack Clarke has conceded that the game could be better served with a less crowded international calendar when the new Future Tours Programme (FTP) is devised. His comments came as a stiff and sore Peter Siddle arrived home in Melbourne for the first time after more than five months on tour.Siddle has been one of the hardest-working members of Australia’s squad this year, having not been at home since April, when he enjoyed a brief spell following the Test series in South Africa. Since then he has been in England for the World Twenty20, the Ashes, and the one-day series, then went straight to South Africa for the Champions Trophy and from there dashed to India to play for Victoria in the Champions League Twenty20 and stayed on for the ODI series.”It has been a long tour, I guess,” Siddle said in the Age after touching down in Melbourne. “The guys have been away for a long time now and we’ve probably played a bit too much cricket, but we will see how we go and I’m sure the boys will go well in the next three matches and come home with a [series] win.”The biggest thing is probably the mental side of things. Just being away from family and friends, all the normal stuff you do when you’re back home. You’re always changing hotels, different sceneries and living out of a suitcase, those are probably the things that take their toll the most. It’s always going to be a lot of games and a lot of cricket played, that’s what the spectators want to see and that’s our job.”The questions over Australia’s packed schedule have become more intense due to the high injury rate over the past couple of months. Five men have flown home from India mid-series and four first-choice players were unavailable in the first place, but in several cases the injuries appear not to be due to over-use.Tim Paine and Brad Haddin both broke fingers, Callum Ferguson wrenched his knee in the field, while James Hopes and Moises Henriques tweaked hamstrings despite not being part of the long Ashes tour. But Jack Clarke said it was still worth pushing for a less packed FTP when the current programme expires after 2012.”It is not fixed yet as to what’s going to happen, that’s been one of the hold-ups in releasing the FTP, the ICC events,” Clarke told the . “The type of events and the regularity is one of the things.”I suspect the game can’t support an ICC tournament every year, but the ICC’s also got to get money to get countries dividends, and not just the Test-playing countries but the associates and affiliates. So hopefully less will be more, and I’d be surprised if there’s an ICC event every year, going forward in 2013-2020.”When the Australians – those who haven’t departed already – fly home from India after next Wednesday’s final ODI, they will have only a fortnight to prepare for the first of six home Tests of the summer. The coach Tim Nielsen said the crammed schedule had made things hard and a seven-match ODI series was probably too long, but the squad had to keep doing its best under the circumstances.”It does make it difficult but at the same time I think it is the same for pretty well everyone around world cricket at the moment,” Nielsen said in the . “Five [games in India], to me, would be probably about right but … we know the reasons for seven-game series. There’s television involved, all different things.”

Priest 89, Heather Knight half-century lead Storm to 77-run thrashing of Stars

ECB Reporters Network25-Aug-2019Rachel Priest gave a masterclass in power hitting as Western Storm maintained their 100% record in the 2019 Kia Super League with a 77-run thrashing of Surrey Stars at Guildford.The New Zealand international blazed 89 in just 55 balls with six sixes and ten fours as Storm put up 171 for 4. Stars never threatened to chase it down with Sonia Odedra returning figures of 4 for 25 to hustle them out for 94.It means victory over Yorkshire Diamonds on Wednesday will see Storm head for Finals Day with a perfect 10/10 record in the group stages.For the Stars, this was a sixth defeat in a row in what has become a wretched campaign.Priest had her radar set from over one, hitting Dane van Niekerk into the crowd. Eva Gray got similar treatment, though the New Zealand would have had her heart in her mouth after one lbw shout from Marizanne Kapp which was turned down by umpire Sue Redfearn.Smriti Mandhana was superbly stumped by Sarah Taylor off van Niekerk, but Priest continued on with her relentless assault. Three more maximums and six fours carried her to 50 in just 33 balls with Storm skipper Heather Knight content to play second fiddle.Stars didn’t help their cause, Amy Gordon dropping Priest at deep mid-on on 76 before shelling another chance, this time to dismiss Knight when she had 22, Laura Marsh the unlucky bowler on both occasions.A century looked certain for Priest, but she fell 11 short, pulling a short one from van Niekerk to Natalie Sciver on the midwicket fence. The stand with Knight had realised 97 in 65 balls.Knight took charge, moving to her own half-century with a six and five fours. And though she fell to Marsh in the last over, 171 for 4 was another imposing score.The Stars made the worst possible start in pursuit of the target, Lizelle Lee falling to Freya Davies for one to continue her poor run in the campaign. Van Niekerk soon followed, hitting one huge six before nicking Deepti Sharma into the gloves of Priest.The rate required was soon beyond ten, but with Davies and Sharma bowling with superb accuracy, the Stars went six overs without finding the fence. Successive fours from Taylor ended the famine, but still the scoreboard pressure mounted. Taylor’s shot back over the head of Anya Shrubsole was a joy to watch, but England’s 2017 World Cup star extracted swift revenge when the Stars’ wicketkeeper fell later in the over to a catch by Knight at extra cover.Knight accounted for Bryony Smith and Sciver and Kapp fell in successive balls to Odedra, the latter having her stumps spread-eagled.There would be no hat-trick, but there was a third wicket for Odedra when Marsh was stumped for just a single. And she struck again later in the over as Gray found the hands of Sophie Luff. Naomi Dattani joined in the fun by mopping up the tail on a sorry afternoon for the Stars.

The fast bowler is yet to fully recover from his shoulder injury. Shadab Khan is out too, but Fakhar Zaman is fit to play

Danyal Rasool in Centurion24-Dec-2018Pakistan will have to fight for just their third Test match win in South Africa without the services of Mohammad Abbas. Sarfraz Ahmed confirmed at a press conference at Supersport Park that the Boxing Day Test came too soon for Abbas, with the shoulder injury that kept him out of the third Test against New Zealand ensuring he will play no part in the opening Test.”Abbas is not fit for the first Test, hopefully he will be fit for the second Test,” Sarfraz said. “Shadab Khan, too, will be back for the second Test, but Fakhar Zaman is fit.”Legspinner Shadab has been nursing a long-term groin injury which caused him to miss the home Tests against Australia and New Zealand, although he did take part in the limited-overs games against New Zealand. Opening batsman Fakhar, meanwhile, has not featured for Pakistan since November 11 thanks to a knee injury, but played in the tour game against a CSA Invitation XI last week.Abbas’s sensational performance in the two-Test series against Australia on the generally placid UAE tracks in October – he took 17 wickets in two Tests at 10.58 – meant he was considered Pakistan’s trump card for the seamer-friendly pitches in South Africa. After the shoulder niggle last month, he was initially thought to be ruled out for the entire South Africa tour, before it emerged that he could participate in the bulk of this series. He had at one point been believed likely to win the fitness race by Boxing Day, only for Sarfraz to confirm otherwise.Abbas’s absence means Pakistan are left with just three specialist seamers in Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi along with the allrounder Faheem Ashraf. That quartet is all set to feature in the Centurion Test now. Sarfraz also hoped the surface would allow the legspinner Yasir Shah some purchase in the later stages, effectively confirming the spinner’s involvement in Shadab’s absence.

England have named three uncapped players in their squad of 15 for the Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean next month

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2018England have named three uncapped players in their squad of 15 for the Women’s World T20 in the Caribbean next month, as they look to add the 20-over title to the 50-over crown that they won in memorable circumstances on home soil last year.Nottinghamshire’s Kirstie Gordon and Sussex’s Linsey Smith – both left-arm spinners with Loughborough Lightning in the Kia Super League – have been named for the first time, while the 20-year-old batsman and legspinner Sophia Dunkley is also included after impressing this season for Middlesex and Surrey Stars.Smith was a breakthrough player for Southern Vipers when they won the inaugural Kia Super League in 2016, and has continued to star for Loughborough Lightning this year, alongside Gordon, who was regularly in the wickets as they reached this year’s final.

England WWT20 squad

Heather Knight (Berkshire, capt), Tammy Beaumont (Kent), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire), Sophia Dunkley (Middlesex), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Tash Farrant (Kent), Kirstie Gordon (Nottinghamshire), Jenny Gunn (Warwickshire), Dani Hazell (Yorkshire), Amy Jones (Warwickshire, wk), Nat Sciver (Surrey), Linsey Smith (Sussex), Anya Shrubsole (Somerset), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire), Danni Wyatt (Sussex)

“It’s always an exciting time when any England squad is announced but especially when there are three newcomers included,” said Mark Robinson, England’s head coach.”Sophia, Kirstie and Linsey have all had outstanding summers domestically and impressed when they have been in and around the group. All three will bring something different to the squad.”Everyone is looking forward to the challenges ahead and we can’t wait to get out there and get started.”England will travel to the Caribbean without the services of Sarah Taylor, their world-class wicketkeeper-batsman, who was withdrawn from consideration last week in the ongoing management of her anxiety condition.Amy Jones has been named as the squad’s first-choice wicketkeeper in Taylor’s absence, and may vye with Lauren Winfield for an opener’s berth alongside Tammy Beaumont and Danielle Wyatt.