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Virat Kohli has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the ODI and T20I squads against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order

Arun Venugopal in Pune14-Jan-2017Virat Kohli, India’s new limited-overs captain, has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the squads for the ODI and T20I series against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order ahead of the Champions Trophy in June.Kohli also said Ambati Rayudu, who made a century for India A in a warm-up against England, was not picked in the squads because he had not had enough game time after missing the Ranji Trophy season because of an injury.Yuvraj, on the other hand, scored 672 runs at an average of 84 in five matches for Punjab, with score of 260 and 177. Though he had averaged only 18.53 in his last 19 ODIs going back to 2012, Yuvraj was selected because there wasn’t enough time to groom a younger batsman: India have only three ODIs before the Champions Trophy.”We cannot leave so much burden on MS alone in the middle order,” Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against England in Pune. “I am willing to take responsibility up the order, but there needs to be one more guy with him down the order in case the top order doesn’t fire.””If the top order doesn’t fire, you are left with MS alone and he is guiding the youngsters more often than not, which is fine if you have 15-20 games till a big tournament. When you have only three games, you need to make sure the guys who have been picked are in good form. That’s why I said we brought in Yuvi, to have the best batting combination possible, and Yuvi has had a very good first-class season. This just gives the team much more balance in the middle and lower-middle order with MS and Yuvi.”Yuvraj and Dhoni have scored 2795 runs in partnership at an average of 50 in 63 ODIs, and Kohli said Yuvraj’s return would allow Dhoni to play shots without worrying about the thinness of the line-up after him.”I think he [Dhoni] will have a bit more assurance knowing that he doesn’t have to think twice before attempting a big shot,” Kohli said. “They feed off each other’s momentum and one can play the aggressive role and one can keep knocking it around in singles. I’m sure they will be looking forward to doing it together.”To have two experienced guys compared to one is a massive difference. I am sure Hardik [Pandya] and Kedar [Jadhav] can learn a lot from them batting along with them.”In his first series as full-time ODI and T20I captain, Kohli said he wanted to learn from Dhoni. “I think he’s been so successful because he’s been able to find the right balance in being offensive with his plans as well as understanding the game when it is dominated by the opposition on how to slow things down,” Kohli said. “I think that’s his biggest strength. It happens in Test cricket but in the shorter format you have to make it happen even quicker because the game can drift away quickly.”Having played a lot of white-ball cricket batting at No. 3, I have a good understanding of how situations can go wrong or turn immediately. It helps when you are a top-order batsman yourself, to understand what the opposition batsmen would be thinking at what stage and which are the bowlers they would find uncomfortable.””But again, MS’ views will be priceless for me as well. It’s just that I am in charge of decisions now and he will be giving his views, which was the case before as well where I’d be giving my views and still his decision was paramount. I think we both understand as professional cricketers, and it’ll be pretty smooth.”With India having begun to use the DRS – one review per innings in ODIs – Kohli said Dhoni’s role was “priceless”. “I saw a stat yesterday that 95% of his appeals that he’s made in his career have been successful,” Kohli said. “He’s one voice, if he tells me it’s outside the line or it is missing, the decision stands there – it’s not left for any further debate. His word will be the one that I will trust as far as DRS is concerned because he is in the best position, plus he’s the most intelligent cricketer around.”Kohli also said he would like to take the bulk of the responsibility with the bat and free up Dhoni to experiment more with his attacking game. “I’m sure having that extra burden of taking responsibility, sometimes it can restrict you,” Kohli said. “I’ve also felt that quite a few times but maybe because my game is dependent on me playing in an offensive way, I haven’t had to curb my game too much. I know it won’t improve my game and it won’t benefit the team.”MS was able to absorb that pressure for a long time. But I’m sure he’ll be able to experiment a bit with his offensive game that he displayed when he came in. Not that he didn’t later on, but he was calculative with it, understanding the team situation. I’m not saying he will go out there and slog every ball. He’s a smart cricketer and we’ve all seen that.”

an Bell is to replace Varun Chopra as Warwickshire captain, following his axing from England’s Test squad and his retirement from limiited-overs cricket

George Dobell21-Jan-2016Ian Bell has described his appointment as Warwickshire captain as “the fulfilment of a boyhood dream.”Bell is replacing Varun Chopra, whose form with the bat has declined since taking on the captaincy.But Bell insists his ambitions to win back a place in the England Test team remain undiluted and hopes that the longest break he has enjoyed from the game in more than a decade will spark a revival in his own form.”If I play at my best, I know I’m good enough to get into that England team,” Bell told ESPNcricinfo. “But I know I haven’t played at my best, or scored enough runs, in the last few months.”Warwickshire have asked me to do this job in the understanding that I still want to play Test cricket. I haven’t picked up a bat since the end of the UAE tour – the longest break I’ve had in 12 years at least – and I won’t do so until February 1. I feel fresher than I have for many, many years and I’m hoping we’ll see that time off pay dividends.”Bell is steeped in Warwickshire folklore. Having supported the team as a boy – he was in the crowd at Lord’s when they won the 1993 NatWest Trophy – he then represented the team at every stage of their youth system. As a result, representing them has always been about far more than a means to an end in winning England selection.And while he gained a reputation for diffidence in the England dressing room, he is a giant at county level. In an environment where he has been almost unconditionally valued, respected and supported from the start, he has batted with a confidence and dominance he has shown all too rarely at international level.To see him captain Warwickshire, meanwhile, has been to see a man confident in his ability as batsman and leader, inspired by a love for the team and deeply admired by colleagues and team-mates. He previously led the side to the Clydesdale Bank Trophy in 2010, scoring a century in the final, and has always said it was his ambition to captain the club at some stage. This is a role he will value and embrace. It is not a surprising decision.”The club and Edgbaston have been a huge part of my life since an early age and, in the past, I have made no secret of my desire to captain the Bears,” Bell said. “I am very proud to now be given the opportunity to lead this exciting squad and to challenge for titles in all forms of the game.”My England ambitions haven’t changed. But I’m trying not to think about that. If I do my job for Warwickshire – lead well and score the runs I know I can – England will look after itself.”Bell will know, however, that he may be in territory once occupied by Mark Ramprakash. However many runs he scores, however many games he helps his team to win, England may have moved on. He has been assured that is not the case – he has had face-to-face meetings with Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss – but, now aged 33 and having retired from limited-overs international cricket last year, his chances of a recall are dwindling. Warwickshire, with Bell and Jonathan Trott in the middle order, may just be able to give Yorkshire a fight in the County Championship this year.”That’s the aim,” he says. “We have to ask ‘how do we become like Yorkshire?’ How do we get eight Warwickshire players in the England squad?”I want to help us win trophies, yes, but I also want to create an environment where everyone enjoys playing and is able to give of their best. I want to help Sam Hain become the next top player for England and find the next crop of top England and Warwickshire players.”And, of course, he wants to win back that England place. Despite their success in South Africa, nobody has nailed down Bell’s spot in the batting order and he certainly believes it is still possible.”I haven’t watched a huge amount of it, because I really was trying to have a break from cricket,” he says. “But what they have done in South Africa is magnificent. I’ve played there; I know how hard it is to win.”I’m delighted for them. I have a lot of friends in that side and even if I never represent them again, I’ll always be an England supporter. Being left out doesn’t change that.”But seeing them win just makes me more determined to be part of it.”Ian Bell could be a regular fixture in Warwickshire’s teams throughout the 2016 season•Getty Images

Chopra led Warwickshire to the NatWest Blast T20 trophy in 2014 and second place in both other competitions that season. But his form with the bat appeared to deteriorate with the responsibility of leadership – after recording 1,000 first-class runs in 2011, 2012 and 2013, he failed to do so in his two seasons as captain – and, as a result, his own international aspirations dwindled.His captaincy also gained mixed reviews. While his calm demeanour was a fine quality when his side was under pressure in the field, in limited-overs cricket especially, it was sometimes interpreted as something approaching apathy over the course of a long season. He is not understood to be especially upset by the decision – indeed, he was party to it – though it will increase the possibility that he returns to a club in the London area in the relatively near future.”I was surprised when I was offered the job,” Bell said, “but it sounds as if Varun wasn’t in the best place to continue. If he can concentrate on scoring the runs he has for us in the past, we’ll be in a great position. I consider him a key member of the side.”Warwickshire were fifth in Division One of the County Championship in 2015 – a modest result for a strong squad – and made it to the semi-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast. They finished the season looking oddly weary, however, and with the dressing room less content than it had been for several years.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as captain of the Bears and regard our NatWest T20 Blast success in 2014 as one of the best moments of my career,” Chopra said. “Whilst it has been a difficult decision to make, I feel that focusing on my batting is in the best interests of the team and I’m looking forward to fully supporting Ian and hopefully contributing to more success in 2016 and beyond.”There is talk within the club that Dougie Brown, the current director of cricket, could also make way in the relatively near future. There are those, not least some players, who feel that Jim Troughton, the captain when the team won the Championship in 2012, would make a better director of cricket. Brown’s record, however, is impressive – he won a trophy in 2014 – and the club have limited resources to make such a change. He, like Bell, is part of the fabric of the club; it would be a shame if they could not work together.While they announced record profits of £3.7m for the last year (before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) earlier in the week, Warwickshire face a tricky year or two, with lower-profile international fixtures to host and a huge debt to service. They recently cancelled their pre-season tour of Barbados and replaced it with a cheaper tour to Dubai.”The relationship between the captain and the coach is always vital,” Bell continued. “So it’s very important to get that right. Hopefully we can do that.”Being appointed to this job is a dream. It is a role many of my boyhood heroes – people like Dermot Reeve, Neil Smith and Tim Munton – had before me.”But it is only the start. Making a success of it over the next few years is the key thing now. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of the second day in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGeorge Dockrell took three wickets as Ireland dominated Netherlands on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match•ICC/Sander Tholen

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of second day, on which 14 wickets fell, in Deventer.After bowling out Ireland for 332 on the first day, Netherlands needed an innings similar to John Anderson’s yesterday to get close to Ireland’s total, but they lost their first wicket in the 15th over when Lesley Stokkers was caught by Andrew Balbirnie off a John Mooney delivery. The situation got worse for Netherlands as they lost their next four batsmen for the addition of 27 runs to end the first session on a precarious 58 for 5. Ireland’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Mooney accounting for the openers.Netherlands continued to lose wickets through the second session and were it not for two brief, but crucial, partnerships they could have fallen before their eventual score. The first was a 30-run stand for the sixth wicket between Tom Cooper and Peter Borren and the second, a 38-run partnership between Cooper and Pieter Seelar. Cooper was the last batsman to be dismissed, stumped on a George Dockrell delivery, soon after he completed his half-century.Ireland had the option of asking Netherlands to follow-on, but with 35 overs remaining in the day, they came out to bat. The decision seemed to backfire as Ireland lost their first wicket in the second over. John Anderson and James Shannon helped the team to settle with a half-century stand, but Netherlands struck thrice in the last half an hour to limit the damage.

Captain Veerasammy Permaul led West Indies A’s fightback in the second unofficial Test, helping them gain a slender lead over India A after the visitors had taken the honours on the first day

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2012
Scorecard

Awana departs for the Caribbean

Parvinder Awana, the seamer who played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, left for the Caribbean on Sunday to join the India A squad. He was held up due to visa issues. Awana was named as a replacement for the injured RP Singh prior to the tour but, according to reports, it took a while for him to be granted a transit visa through the UK.

Captain Veerasammy Permaul led West Indies A’s fightback in the second unofficial Test, helping them gain a slender lead over India A after the visitors had taken the honours on the first day. Permaul grabbed five wickets with his left-arm spin and was well supported by the rest of the bowling crew – each of the five bowlers bagged at least a wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara, captaining his team, impressed once again, scoring his third half-century in as many innings but even he couldn’t prevent West Indies from bowling India out for 202.Veerasammy Permaul picked up 5 for 58•West Indies Cricket

Seamer Shami Ahmed brought an early end to the West Indies innings on the second day, removing opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who had batted out the opening day, for 66. He then trapped Devendra Bishoo in front to finish with 4 for 48 and keep West Indies to 217.But India were under pressure early in the chase. Abhinav Mukund, who bagged a pair in the first unofficial Test, was lbw to seamer Jason Holder for 8 while Shikhar Dhawan was cleaned up by Delorn Johnson for a duck. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, however, tried to bail India out of trouble. Pujara took the bulk of the strike in the 74-run third-wicket stand but Permaul struck to undermine the hard work.Permaul, who made a quick 36 in West Indies’ innings, had Rahane caught at slip for 18 before taking a return catch from Rohit Sharma to dismiss him for 1. Pujara brought up his half-century with a six over long-on off legspinner Bishoo, but he too fell to Permaul, edging to the wicketkeeper. Manoj Tiwary, who had added 27 with Pujara, followed soon.Wriddhiman Saha and the lower order, though, stepped up. Saha added 38 with Rahul Sharma. Rahul then put together 32 with Shami. The last four wickets added 79 runs for India, but Permaul completed the innings by dismissing Shami and Ashok Dinda and bagged a five-for.West Indies were six without loss in the second innings, a lead of 21.

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer

08-Jun-2011
ScorecardAbdul Razzaq turned the match at Old Trafford on its head•PA Photos

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer at Old Trafford. Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis boosted target of 165 from 19 overs, the Foxes had slumped to 99 for 6 in the 15th over and later needed 62 off the last 24 balls.Pakistan’s Razzaq then clubbed five sixes and three fours in a 30-ball 62 with a little help from tailender Wayne White. The pair shared an unbroken 66 inside five overs for the seventh wicket as White hit two maximums in 17 off 10 deliveries.Razzaq only landed in England the day before but helped to take 25 off the 16th over bowled by home skipper Steven Croft. Having been dropped by Stephen Moore on 26, the allrounder cleared the long-on fence with successive balls.White then hit maximums in a similar area off Gary Keedy and Kyle Hogg in the last two overs as the points were secured with four wickets and one ball to spare. Fellow overseas allrounder Andrew McDonald had laid a solid platform with an excellent 57 off 40 balls but Leicestershire slipped from 60 for 2 in the seventh.The hosts’ trio of spinners, Keedy, Simon Kerrigan and Stephen Parry all struck, with Keedy and Kerrigan getting two wickets each to put the skids under the visiting reply.Lancashire openers Moore and Tom Smith were the reasons why their side posted a competitive total, adding 88 inside 10 overs after a slow start. Moore top-scored with 48 off 39 balls and Smith 45 off 27, increasing their scoring rate after taking only 29 runs off the first five overs.Despite Smith holing out to McDonald at long-off as part-time spinner Josh Cobb struck in the 10th, the hosts scored 60 runs off the next five. Smith pulled Matthew Hoggard for six and whacked Cobb over long-off – the ball before departing – and Moore square-cut Hoggard for another maximum.Claude Henderson played a part in dragging things back by getting Moore stumped by Paul Nixon and Croft caught and bowled in the 13th over on the way to figures of 2 for 26 from four. Lancashire also lost Paul Horton and Gareth Cross but a four and six off the last two balls of the innings from Jordan Clark boosted the total.Smith then got Cobb caught at mid-on by a juggling Clark with the first ball of the Leicester innings before McDonald found his feet quickly. He shared 33 for the third wicket with James Taylor but the innings slipped as soon as the latter was trapped lbw by Kerrigan.Nixon was stumped by Cross off a Keedy wide, McDonald punted the same bowler to Horton at long-off and Jacques Du Toit found Clark at midwicket off Kerrigan before Razzaq’s fireworks turned the contest and inflicted a first defeat of this season’s campaign on Lancashire.

Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team including Brian Lara against Pakistan, at Lord’s, on June 27 to mark the start of their tour of England

Cricinfo staff10-Jun-2010Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team that includes Brian Lara against Pakistan at Lord’s on June 27. The match marks the start of Pakistan’s tour of England, and is part of the MCC’s sponsorship of the neutral series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner.It will be the first time the MCC has played a Twenty20 match at Lord’s and the team also includes Chaminda Vass, who is currently playing for Northamptonshire, Ian Harvey and Victoria batsman Aiden Blizzard. Glenn Querl, an MCC Young Cricketer, who has played for the Unicorns in the CB40 this season is also included.”MCC is delighted to welcome to Lord’s a Pakistani side who have a proven track record in Twenty20 cricket,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “Shahid Afridi’s men will face an exciting MCC team comprising world class performers and up-and-coming talent.”Brian Lara is one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game and Sourav Ganguly is a world-leading Twenty20 cricketer. The match will provide spectators with a fantastic opportunity to see wonderful cricket and great cricketers.”Pakistan’s tour includes two Twenty20 internationals and two Tests against Australia before they face England in four Tests, two Twenty20s and five ODIs.

Rockets recover from back-to-back defeats with clinical 22-run win over London Spirit

ECB Media07-Aug-2024Alex Hales wound back the clock to fire Trent Rockets back into the top three of the Hundred men’s competition with a 22-run win over London Spirit at Trent Bridge.The 35-year-old T20 World Cup winner cleared the ropes five times in a typically powerful innings of 68 from 42 balls, before Rashid Khan claimed three wickets in his first six balls to effectively ice the game, save for a couple of massive blows from Andre Russell.”The most important was pitching the ball in the areas I wanted to,” Rashid said, adding of his battle with Russell: “That’s what makes this competition beautiful: playing against the best in the world. I always enjoy such competition with the good batters and that’s true about Russell.”Rockets, who had lost their previous two games after botching run chases, posted 166 for 4 with Tom Banton and Joe Root providing hard-hitting support of their own for Hales.Hales had not passed 38 in his previous 11 innings in the competition but found his groove as the Rockets added 93 from the second 50 balls of their innings – the only moment of concern coming when Hales was temporarily felled by a Nathan Ellis beamer.Alex Hales on his way to fifty•ECB via Getty Images

Banton thrashed 36 from 25 balls to set a platform while Root’s enduring know-how ensured a strong finish to the innings with 32 from 23 balls.Afghanistan legspinner Rashid then made an immediate impact with the ball on his way to figures of 4 for 24.Spirit skipper Dan Lawrence’s attempt to attack Rashid early backfired, picking out Rovman Powell on the rope from his second ball, before Shimron Hetmyer was judged lbw on review from the next.Keaton Jennings hit 31 from 18 only to direct his normally reliable reverse sweep into the gloves of Banton as Rashid again showcased the match-defining qualities that has made him a star in white-ball competitions across the world.Russell responded by dispatching Rashid out of Trent Bridge with a mighty six that got the 10,564 fans off their feet. The Jamaican allrounder crunched another massive blow into the stands while John Turner had to be removed from the attack as a second beamer hit Russell.But just as the hosts had started to feel the pressure, Luke Wood expertly produced a slower ball that kept low and found Russell’s off stump.Matt Critchley offered some late hitting, with 37 from 30 balls, but Sam Cook closed him out and there was too much left to do as defeat left Spirit with just one win from their five games and their hopes of reaching the knockout stage all but over.

Sussex slump to fourth defeat in five as Glamorgan pair do it again

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2023Glamorgan made it four wins out of five in their Vitality Blast campaign when they beat the Sussex Sharks by 32 runs at the 1st Central County Ground.For the third match running, their dominant figures with the bat were Colin Ingram (48) and Chris Cooke (50), whose rich vein of form swept them to a formidable total.The Sharks, though, are moving in the opposite direction. This was their third straight defeat, and their fourth in five games, and they now have a mountain to climb if they are to progress in the competition. In their most recent defeats it was their batting that let them down, but here it was their bowling.Ravi Bopara, Sussex’s captain, said: “I thought we were very poor with the ball. Obviously that’s where we lost the game. We bowled about 12 or 13 extra balls. To chase that down was always going to be hard work. That’s where we lost it.”It’s frustrating to be without certain players. We had high hopes for Ali Orr in the blast this year. That’s been a massive blow for us and we haven’t really replaced him as an opener. In this format you need quality openers. They’re generally the guys who win you games.”The guys are still learning. And learning quickly is important. It’s important we stick together. I remember at Essex we won only one game out of six or seven and we went on to win the tournament.”Chasing a huge victory target of 220, Sussex never looked in the chase despite a plucky charge from Tom Alsop, who scored 58 from 41 deliveries. Tom Clark, pulling across the line, was bowled by Jamie McIlroy in the third over and in the next fellow opener Tom Haines departed, unluckily run out through a deflected straight drive by Alsop.Sussex needed something special from Bopara, but their skipper departed in sloppy circumstances, lifting a full toss from Kiran Carlson to long-on for just ten. And two overs later Shadab Khan was caught at cow corner, just below the dressing rooms, for three.The situation was hopeless. But no-one told Alsop. And for a short period, while he found a reliable partner in Michael Burgess, the near-impossible looked on. With ten overs to go Sussex needed 148. Then, from the last five, they needed 90, at an improbable rate of 18 runs an over.But then Alsop was yorked by Dan Douthwaite to make it 133 for 5 in the 16th over and even the most diehard Sharks supporters gave up hope, not even encouraged by some poor catching by the Glamorgan fielders. At least some late hitting by Nathan McAndrew, who struck four sixes in an unbeaten 28, entertained those spectators who remained from a large crowd.Glamorgan had made the most of a flat pitch, a fast outfield and some wayward bowling and fielding from the Sharks to pile up 219-5, with Ingram and Cooke again the stars of the show. There were 23 extras in the innings, including eight no-balls and nine wides.They got off to a flyer, scoring 71 for 1 in the powerplay. There were also two dropped catches in that opening passage of play, to add to the fielding side’s frustrations, including a sitter by James Coles.Glamorgan did lose the dangerous looking Eddie Byrom early on, the batsman, injuring himself in the course of a 10-ball 17, and had to be helped off the field. But captain Carlson maintained the impetus of the innings with two sixes and three fours in a 16-ball 26 before he skied Henry Crocombe to the wicketkeeper Burgess.Sam Northeast, quiet in the opening overs, picked up his pace and raised the hundred from the final delivery of the 10th over when he clouted Shadab over square-leg for six. The Sharks dismissed Northeast at 106 in the 11th over when the batsman drove Crocombe to short extra-cover where Bopara took an excellent low catch.But because of their poor start the Sharks had difficulty stemming the flow of runs as Ingram and Cooke plundered their bowling. Shadab, bowling the 14th over, went for 18 runs and then the next over, bowled by McAndrew, went for 19 runs as Cooke raised the 150 with a marvellous stroke, carving McAndrew over extra-cover for six. Tymal Mills, Crocombe and Bopara had reasonable bowling figures but the other three, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, McAndrew and Shadab were very expensive.

Captain missed third match after experiencing pain during England’s warm-up

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2022Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, has been ruled out of the remaining two matches of England’s T20I series against West Indies in Barbados, after sustaining a low-grade quadriceps injury.Morgan sat out England’s 20-run defeat in Wednesday’s third match, with Moeen Ali stepping in as his deputy, after feeling pain in his right quad during the pre-match warm-up.An ECB statement added: “Follow-up testing revealed he sustained a right thigh-muscle injury which, whilst relatively minor, will prevent him from playing further games during the current tour.”Morgan, 35, made scores of 17 from 29 balls and 13 from 12 in England’s first two fixtures – the former innings coming in the midst of a top-order collapse that included the loss of three wickets in the first two overs, and an eventual total of 103 all out.England bounced back to win the second match, although West Indies’ lower-order battled back from the brink to reduce the margin to a solitary run.Although England are currently ranked as the No. 1 T20I team in the world, Morgan had identified this campaign as an opportunity to expand their options ahead of the next T20 World Cup in Australia in November.”The whole tour is one where the development of our game is more important than a series win,” Morgan said ahead of the first T20I. “We’ve gone through this process before, and identifying the level of intensity, and our performance is far more important than the result.”The squad in the Caribbean had already been missing a core of proven performers, with Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood among those rested following their involvement in the Ashes, while Jofra Archer has been absent following his recent elbow operation – although he has been back training with his team-mates on this trip.In Morgan’s absence on Wednesday, England gave a debut to Harry Brook, with Phil Salt and George Garton also making their maiden T20I appearances in place of Sam Billings and Saqib Mahmood, who was hit for 28 runs in his final over of the second match.”A lot of talented guys will get opportunities throughout this series which is very exciting, not only for the team, but for them as well,” Morgan added. “They don’t get a lot of opportunity to go through a process like this so, for our long-term planning, as we strive to have deeper, stronger squads, it’s very important. The group that we would normally take to a World Cup has been together for quite some time, so the planning behind that is important to us.”Moeen will continue to lead the team in Morgan’s absence for the final two back-to-back fixtures on Saturday and Sunday. England, currently 2-1 down, must win both to claim the series.

Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan will also skip the tournament with England scheduled to play T20Is in South Africa

Danyal Rasool02-Nov-2020Faf du Plessis is the highest-profile new name drafted in for the playoff stage of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 to be played in Karachi, with the former South Africa captain set to represent the Peshawar Zalmi.A number of players originally part of the squads of the PSL franchises that made the last four remained unavailable due to international commitments. As a result, the PCB has drafted in multiple fresh names to take the count of foreign players who will arrive in Pakistan, to 21. Out of these, 13 are from England and South Africa, while Tamim Iqbal also remains a notable inclusion, with the former Zalmi opener to pad up for the Lahore Qalandars this time.Alex Hales was suspected to have contracted Covid-19 during the PSL’s original schedule in March this year, something that remained unconfirmed until the tournament was called off. However, it had led to the playoffs being cancelled just an hour before they began, though Hales is set to return to the tournament for the Kings this time. He will be joined by team-mate James Vince, though Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan will be unavailable, with the pair due to take part in England’s T20I series in South Africa.The knockout stage, though, has reverted to the playoffs format, which means four matches will be played instead of three as was decided in March, when the PSL had shortened the format in a bid to conclude it earlier with the Covid-19 pandemic beginning to take hold. That means the Multan Sultans will play the Kings with the winner directly qualifying for the final, with the loser to battle for the second spot in the final against the winner of the Qalandars and Zalmi game.”I am very excited to join Peshawar Zalmi for the playoff stage games of HBL PSL 2020,” du Plessis said. “I have fond memories of playing in Pakistan when I toured with the ICC World XI in 2017 and I am sure this experience, although different due to Covid-19, will be a memorable one as well.”Among the other notable misses will be Kieron Pollard, with West Indies’ tour of New Zealand clashing with the PSL. Pollard is the player du Plessis has replaced, while Sherfane Rutherford has slotted into the Kings squad for Jordan.The playoff games have been scheduled from November 14 to 16, with the final on November 17.The squads
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