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There was no shortage of incident on the first day of this match, althoughnothing could match the drama of the downward spiral that marked the end of theHighveld Strikers’ first innings.In a minor and somewhat meaningless competition for those teams which didn’treach the Super Eight phase of the Supersport Series, in which all threematches thus far have been drawn, a result seems inevitable after 17 wicketsfell on day one, unless the weather gods intervene.The home side, put in by Griquas captain Wendell Bossenger, had progressedrelatively uneventfully to 170 for four when the carnage started, withoff spinner Martyn Gidley getting a touch as Marthinus Otto drove onestraight down the pitch and running out Geoffrey Toyana, who was backing up,for 10.Two runs and a handful of overs later, the Strikers were back in the hut andGriquas’ paceman Zahir Abrahim had a devastating spell of five for two infive overs under his belt, including the scalps of Brendan Horan, NeilFusedale and Johnson Mafa, all bowled for ducks in the space of five balls,to end the innings.As undignified as that collapse was, though, Griquas didn’t fare muchbetter, with opener Gidley holding his end up while wickets tumbled aroundhim as the visitors were reduced to 93 for seven. Mafa took four for 22 in ahostile nine-over spell after tea from the Golf Course End, the same endfrom which Abrahim had earlier sown destruction.Abrahim continued his major contribution, however, helping Gidley arrest theslump as he hit Mafa out of the attack and at the close, he had 28 out of anunbroken stand of 33 with Gidley, who was on 56, leaving Griquas on 126 forseven, 46 behind.

Ella McCaughan capitalised on Southern Vipers’ England exodus to score 42 to help her side to a four-wicket victory over Thunder in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Batter McCaughan hadn’t featured in Vipers’ opening three matches but made the most of Maia Bouchier and Danni Wyatt’s England call-ups with five boundaries on her way to her highest T20 score for Vipers.Vipers’ chase of 111 – after a good bowling performance led by Linsey Smith’s 2 for 16 – never looked in much doubt, with Georgia Adams joining McCaughan in a 52-run stand in front of almost 3,500 fans.”It was nice to get an opportunity at the top of the order,” McCaughan said. “I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to be ready for the chance and I’m really pleased with the way I contributed.”We have a strong side and depth here so it is really hard to get into the team. I’ve been working hard to get in and it was nice to get out there today.”The bonus-point victory put Vipers in command of third place after their defeat of The Blaze, while Thunder remain fourth.Thunder chose to bat first with both sides shorn of their England contract players, with Lauren Bell, Wyatt, Charlie Dean, Bouchier, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, and Emma Lamb all called up for red-ball training ahead of the Ashes Test.Thunder’s batters collectively struggled to make the most of starts, with Liberty Heap, Deandra Dottin, Ellie Threlkeld and Danni Collins all scoring between 15 and 24 but none could turn them into innings-defining scores.They were throttled by accurate bowling from the experienced Vipers bowlers Anya Shrubsole, Smith, Adams and, on her birthday, Georgia Elwiss – none of which went for more than 6.25 runs per over.But Thunder self-sabotaged with four run-outs of varying degrees of barbecuing and mix-ups, which accounted for the wickets of Fi Morris, Seren Smale, Steph Butler and Olivia Bell.A used pitch made flowing shot-making difficult although they totted up 47 for 2 in the powerplay, aided by Heap’s quartet of boundaries.West Indian Dottin showed some flair with a vicious cut and flail over cover combo off Mary Taylor before slog-sweeping Adams for six.But the belt tightened, Elwiss went for 14 off her for overs while Shrubsole, Smith and Adams picked up two wickets each as the last seven wickets fell for just 30 runs.In reply, Vipers’ new-look opening pair of Nicole Faltum and McCaughan effortlessly put on 33 together before the Australian cut to point and Taylor joined the run out party.Left-arm all-rounder Naomi Dattani had pilfered the first wicket, and the first two overs with impeccable figures of 2-2-0-1.But Adams and McCaughan took control. Adams started slowly with 15 coming from her first 17 balls before tearing into former team-mate Tara Norris with three successive fours before bring up the fifty stand by carting Bell into the stands.She departed two balls later attempting another big shot before Freya Kemp and McCaughan were bowled by Bell.Nancy Harman became the sixth run out victim but Elwiss whacked a six back over Bell’s head to win it with 23 balls to spare.

Coming back from a string of big injuries in 2022 is tough work mentally, Deepak Chahar feels. He was out for most of the first half of 2022 and then had a stop-start second half of the year, and has now gone two IPL games without a wicket. It will take time to get back to peak form, he said.”Mentally it’s very tough,” Chahar told select Indian newspapers in Chennai. “I had two major injuries, which are critical for a fast bowler. Other pacers are also struggling with a stress fracture in the back. It takes a long time to recover from that.”When you start playing it takes time to get back to your best, it takes time mentally and physically, and I’m getting there slowly.”Related

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Chahar had suffered a quadricep injury in February 2022, and while undergoing rehabilitation for that, he hurt his back. That turned out to be a stress fracture, and he was sidelined for six months overall. He returned for India’s ODI series in Zimbabwe in August, showed signs of getting back to his best – he was named in India’s reserves for the T20 World Cup – but then had to sit out again, from an ODI series against South Africa, because of a stiff back. He returned for the tour of Bangladesh in December, but was forced off the field after bowling just three overs with what turned out to be a quadricep tear. He played no further part in India’s home season, and has played just the lone game this year – a Ranji Trophy match for Rajasthan – coming into the IPL.Before the IPL, he had told PTI that such injuries were particularly hard on pacers. “They are both very big injuries. You are out for months,” he had said. “Anyone who comes back after the injury it takes time, especially fast bowlers.”If I was a batter, I would have been playing way back, but as a fast bowler…”

CSK’s Dwayne Bravo-sized gap at the death

Chahar, bowling alongside the less experienced Tushar Deshpande and Rajvardhan Hangargekar, has bowled more at the death this season as Super Kings continue to search for a way to plug the hole left by Dwayne Bravo’s exit. Chahar, who for long was a new-ball swing specialist, said he has been working hard on this aspect of his game.”In powerplays, you bowl with a new ball and have only two fielders outside whereas in the slog overs you bowl with an old ball and have five fielders outside. I take it as a challenge and I also practice a lot,” he said. “Earlier, I didn’t bowl much because we had more options to bowl at the death. Since I have many variations – yorker, knuckle ball, slow bouncer, legcutter, wide yorker, offcutter – I decide according to the batter and the pitch and execute [at the death] accordingly.”In Super Kings’ first game, against Gujarat Titans, Chahar bowled two overs in the powerplay and then the 17th and 19th overs, finishing with 0 for 29. Against Lucknow Super Giants, in a run-fest at Chepauk, he bowled three in the powerplay before bowling the 17th over. With Super Giants needing 62 runs from 24, that over went for 18 runs, including three consecutive wides, much to MS Dhoni’s chagrin.Super Kings’ next game is against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

Shakib Al Hasan is likely to play the Dhaka Test as a pure batter after he was unable to bowl post the first day in Chattogram. Head coach Russell Domingo said that they would have difficulty in balancing the side if that was the case, but would be happy having Shakib as batter and captain as they try to level the series.”He could play as a batter [only],” Domingo said after Bangladesh lost the first Test. “Obviously he didn’t bowl enough overs. He is still struggling with his shoulder and [ribcage] bruising. It left us with four bowlers – a big blow for us.”Ebadot [Hossain] broke down [too], so we were stuck with three bowlers. It is very difficult to balance the side at the moment. I am not 100% sure if Shakib would be able to bowl. He is definitely available to play as a batter, which is an issue for us. We need an allrounder.”Related

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Shakib made 84 in the second innings in Chattogram, getting out trying to slog Kuldeep Yadav as he looked for quick runs even as Bangladesh kept losing wickets at the other end on the fifth morning. The hosts eventually lost the match by 188 runs but Shakib’s batting was one of the few bright spots in the game.Domingo said that Shakib has shown that despite his “laidback” demeanour, he is hungry to perform in Tests. The topic came up for discussion after Shakib was not seen on the field for certain periods during India’s first innings, but Domingo believes Shakib wants to continue to play Tests.”It is a tricky question. It is a good question,” he said. “He comes across as very laidback, but when he is in the contest, he has pride in performance. Looking from the outside, you may think, ‘Does he really care?’. But I know that he has a lot of pride in performances. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed out there. He is competing 100%.”Bangladesh have brought on left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed as cover for Shakib, who is unlikely to bowl in the second Test. But Shakib’s fitness aside, they have other worries too – specifically with the bat. They were folded for 150 after India posted 404 in the first innings, before performing much better with the bat on the fourth day. However, late wickets meant survival would be difficult while chasing an improbable 513.Russell on debutant Zakir Hasan: “It was a no-brainer to pick him due to his confidence and form”•AFP/Getty Images

Domingo said that their top order “isn’t confident”, but the inclusion of Zakir Hasan was a timely one, as he brought recent runs from domestic and A cricket.”We wanted to compete. India is a good side, but once again, one bad session with the bat destroyed our chance in the match,” Domingo said. “Four-hundred is a good score, but it is manageable in Chittagong. We shouldn’t have been bowled out for 150 in the first innings. The most disappointing thing is the poor decision making from the batters.”There’s a lack of confidence in the top order. They are not managing to find a way to get out of the slump. There’s a whole host of players in the top five or six that haven’t played well or been as consistent as I had hoped. The young player who hasn’t played Tests with us is confident at the moment. He has shown us how to do it. He played really well.”Domingo was particularly disappointed at the timing of Litton Das’ dismissal on the fourth evening. He had built a nice defensive approach but six minutes before the tea break, dinked one straight to mid-on, playing what seemed like a half-hearted loft of Kuldeep.”I was disappointed with Litton’s dismissal, particularly the timing of it,” he said. “He is such a good player, so I am sure he’d be disappointed with it too. I can’t see Virat, Root, Smith or Marnus giving their wicket away in that sort of mode six minutes before tea. Litton is that good for us.”Domingo also explained that Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque were dropped due to lack of form.”It is based on the fact that domestically and for the A side, [Joy] hasn’t really got a lot of runs off late,” he said. “He hasn’t played international cricket for five to six months. It was a no-brainer to pick Zakir due to his confidence and form. That’s why Joy missed out.”Mominul got 10 of his 11 hundreds at this venue. He’d be the first to admit that in the last year, he hasn’t got the runs. But he is too good a player to not have around. You cannot lose a player of Mominul’s quality. He will definitely be considered for the second Test.”Mominul lacks confidence. He is under constant scrutiny, [and] pressure. He probably is trying too hard, listening to a lot of opinions, [and] trying a lot of things. He needs to go back to find his own to get runs. Some of the best players in the world have gone through slumps.”

England were “extremely poor” in defeat against Sri Lanka in the fifth ODI, according to their captain, Eoin Morgan.But while Morgan, who left himself out for the match so England could take a look at Sam Curran, also labelled his team’s attitude as “very poor”, he felt the overall experience could prove beneficial for the side ahead of the World Cup campaign.He promised there would be no “papering over the cracks” when they reviewed what went wrong, having lost by a record margin of 219 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.”It can be extremely helpful,” Morgan said. “For 50 overs today we were under serious pressure and we didn’t have a lot of answers. That gives us a good opportunity to go back and look at everything from preparation right down to the end result. That’s always better when you’ve been put under a lot of pressure.”We didn’t take our game forward today. There were areas it went backwards. Our fielding was extremely poor, our attitude was very poor and that has to be addressed. We’ll have to break down everything from yesterday’s practice. Did we do too much the day before the game? Did we overcook ourselves? We might have been a little bit fatigued. I don’t know.”We will break it down and find an answer because otherwise we’re just papering over the cracks which is not what we want to do.”Sri Lanka hit 366 – their highest ODI score against England – in the first innings of the game, plundering a bowling attack that included both Sam and Tom Curran for the first time in an international game.But Morgan defended the changes England made to their line-up on the grounds that some of these players – notably Sam Curran – could come into the World Cup squad as injury replacements.Sam Curran bowls during the fifth ODI•Getty Images

“Sam has only played his second ODI today,” Morgan said. “If we’re going to be serious about considering him as a potential replacement if David Willey is injured for the World Cup squad we need to know more about him.”Today we learned more about him. If Sam Curran’s name goes down on that paper we know what his strengths and weaknesses are now, and we try to improve them as we go along. He needs games under his belt.”When you leave yourself out the one thing you don’t want to compromise is winning the game. That’s the best environment to learn from. But on the other hand you want to see the players who come in be challenged and put under pressure. That’s one thing we definitely saw today.”People will say you don’t want to see your bowlers hit all over the place, hit back over their head, but I think it’s necessary to learn. When we go into the World Cup and play against the better teams they perform like that on a regular basis.”It’s not that you want to get used to it but you want them to get used to the situation, and experience refocusing for the next delivery.”The time for experimentation is now over, however. England have only two full ODI series to play before embarking on their World Cup campaign – against West Indies in the Caribbean and at home to Pakistan – and have to select their squad before meeting Pakistan in May.”Today we played five out-and-out batters,” Morgan said. “We normally play six, but the balance of the team changed. I’d like to think we’ll go back to our strongest suit and strongest balance consistently going to the West Indies and then against Pakistan and Ireland in World Cup year.”

Hardik Pandya wants to be Hardik Pandya. He wants to stop being compared to the India’s greatest allrounder, Kapil Dev.Pandya took his maiden five-wicket haul within 29 balls on the second day at Trent Bridge, breaking England’s spine as they conceded 168-run lead, which was extended to 292 by the close with India having eight wickets in hand. Pandya is now the second-highest wicket-taker for India with eight and has the best average.Ever since Pandya smashed a 50 on debut and then made a century in his third Test during last year’s tour of Sri Lanka, the question has been asked if he can perform the role that Kapil did for India for about 15 years.Last week, the former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding told ESPNcricinfo that Pandya is not yet completely performing his role as a bowling allrounder convincingly. Holding had heard Pandya was being compared to Kapil during the South African Test series this January. Based on his own observation Holding said Pandya was “nowhere near” Kapil and India needed to find “somebody” who could contribute more.After his performance on Sunday, which turned the match firmly in India’s favour, Pandya said he is tired of the comparison and wants to put a stop on the talk.”The problem with this is you compare yes, but all of a sudden something goes wrong and they are like he is not that [Kapil Dev],” Pandya said. “I have never wanted to be Kapil Dev. Let me be Hardik Pandya. I am good at being Hardik Pandya, reached here till now, I have played 40 ODIs and now 10 Test matches being Hardik Pandya, not Kapil Dev. They are great in their era. Let me be Hardik Pandya. Stop comparing me with anyone. I will be happy if you don’t.”Talking to former England captain Nasser Hussain on Pandya said he does not care what the critics think. “For sure not. I will simply say one thing. Let’s not worry about me. I know what I am exactly doing. My team backs me. That’s what matters. And to be honest I don’t care what people say.”Pandya told Sky Sports the focus of the bowling group in the second session was to bowl full. “I tried to swing the ball and if you try to swing the ball you go little full. You tend to get driven. I am not afraid of getting driven because if the wickets come runs does not matter.”Pandya added that he did not want the batsmen to read him and one way to do that was to vary his release points, bowl from different parts of the popping crease, use the seam in different angles and create doubts in the their mind.”I feel that if I keep on bowling the same way they might get used to it,” he said. “So I always focus on using the crease or even the line where I am bowling because it is very important, it makes a huge difference. If I go wide and I bowl the same ball the batsman thinks it is coming in with the angle, but if goes out you get the opportunity of getting him out.”In the later press conference, Pandya revealed Ishant Sharma had jokingly told him to talk about his role in the five-for. Jokes apart, Pandya acknowledged Ishant did play a “big role”. Having played against most of the England batsmen in international and county cricket, Ishant has the knowledge of their weaknesses which he shared with Pandya.”Ishy [Ishant] was telling me the same thing: don’t go for the wickets, if you keep bowling at the rights areas, you have the talent to get them. That’s the same thing I tell him and same thing which we tell other bowlers. Keep it tight, let’s see what they do, let’s check their patience and once again we saw the result what happens.”Last year, in Pallekele, Pandya raised his bat to celebrate his maiden Test century. Today, in Nottingham, he flashed the ball to relish the maiden five-wicket haul. Which did he enjoy more? “I am happier with taking five-wicket haul than scoring a hundred. I have taken very few five-wicket hauls, I think this is the second of my life. and it has come at a very important place so I am very happy.”

Ed Smith, the England national selector, has defended the selection of Adil Rashid for next week’s first Test against India at Edgbaston, in spite of his unavailability for Yorkshire in red-ball cricket, saying that the decision was taken with the full approval of both his fellow selectors and England’s Test captain Joe Root, with Yorkshire kept informed at every step of the process.Smith took over from James Whitaker as the head of England’s selection panel in May, and was not therefore privy to the decisions that led to Rashid’s withdrawal from red-ball cricket, in the wake of his omission from last year’s Ashes. His first Test selection, for the Pakistan series in May, had also featured a notable recall on the strength of a player’s white-ball form, when Jos Buttler was successfully reintroduced to the side after starring in the IPL.”I believe strongly in the county game’s value,” Smith told reporters at The Oval. “In no way is there any sense that I would do anything to damage county cricket. However, in these circumstances where the context pre-dated my involvement as England selector, the panel unanimously felt that the right selection was Adil Rashid in the squad.”

Broad backing for Rashid

Stuart Broad has said Adil Rashid’s recall was testament to the spinner’s increased confidence from a successful spell in England’s limited-overs sides, and backed him to produce “wicket-taking balls” in the Test series with India.
“He’s bowled beautifully in the one-day series,” he said. “I know it’s easy to say it’s a very different format with different strategies and all that sort of thing but you can see he has got wicket-taking balls in him and he’s come through a couple of years of wonderful white-ball bowling which will give him a lot of confidence at the top level.
“I know Moeen [Ali] has said it’s different bowling with a Dukes and a Kookaburra red ball but I’m sure he’s building up for a big week’s prep in Birmingham. We training three days before Wednesday, so that’s quite a lot of prep time to get used to it.”

Smith revealed that he had sounded Rashid out about a Test recall prior to the ODI series against India. It was, he added, “a general chat about whether it was in his heart to play Test cricket for England again, what his aspirations were. At no stage did I give him any assurances about selection, even if he was available.”One thing that did not change, however, was that Rashid opted not to make himself available for Yorkshire’s Roses match at Old Trafford last week. Yorkshire chose to play on-loan legspinner Josh Poysden instead, and club officials were outspoken in their annoyance in the wake of a call-up that will now limit Rashid’s involvement in their Vitality Blast campaign.”We are pretty disappointed with both the ECB’s and Adil’s decision,” Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s Director of Cricket, said, while Mark Arthur, the chief executive, added: “I hope that England know what they’re doing to Adil, and the county game.”Smith, however, was unrepentant for picking a player whom he believes will help England to win a high-profile Test series. “I’m not party to the relationship between Adil and Yorkshire,” he said. “I am very sympathetic to Yorkshire’s position in terms of their planning. I’ve spoken with Martyn Moxon all the way through so it’s been no surprise to Yorkshire, they have been kept informed every step of the way.”I’m aware it will prompt discussion, but moving forward it’s been made clear to Adil that if he wishes to be eligible for selection in the 2019 summer, he must have a contract to play red-ball cricket.”I am tasked to put the best available squad together to give to the captain and the coach to pick the XI on the day. That’s the extent of my job. Given the circumstances, I feel very comfortable that, after a unanimous decision, we have picked Adil Rashid in the squad.”That unanimity, Smith reiterated, included the blessing of Root, whom he said he “did more than consult”.”The decision was a unanimous one, the decision makers being myself, James Taylor and coach Trevor Bayliss, and also round that table was Joe Root,” Smith said.”The number one question was ‘Joe, what do you need?’. I know Joe wishes to give Adil and Moeen [Ali] the best environment to thrive in the Test team, as they thrive in the one-day side. When it came to the final decision, I asked all four if it was the right thing to do and the answer was ‘yes’ from all four.””The decision involved quite a lot of context,” he added. “We are fully aware of the summer we are having and the likelihood or possibility that the pitches are going to turn. Secondly, in the event of needing two spinners, how would we get people into the side who turn the ball in different directions?”It would be quite eccentric to play two offspinners and Joe Root. In that context as part of that decision, obviously Adil’s form in white-ball cricket, his confidence, his touch, the fact that he has evolved so much as a bowler and is in the form of his life, and never felt more at home in an England one-day or T20 jersey.”

ScorecardTwenty wickets fell on a highly dramatic opening day at Tunbridge Wells, with Specsavers County Championship Division Two leaders Warwickshire dismissing second-placed Kent for 197 before themselves crumbling to 125 in reply after tea. In two overs’ batting before the close, Kent made 4 without loss in their second innings and lead overall by 76.Joe Denly’s classy 59 on a seam-friendly pitch kept Kent afloat in the first two sessions, despite Keith Barker’s 5 for 32, which included a skilful spell of 4 for 13 in 5.1 overs to finish off Kent’s first innings.But then Warwickshire’s batsmen – Jonathan Trott, with a calm 51 not out from 81 balls, apart – had no answer to a home attack in which Matt Henry and Darren Stevens made the new ball incisions and Harry Podmore, who has shot to form in Kent;s charge to the Royal London Cup final, took four wickets in his first five overs to record a career-best 4 for 26.Henry returned to polish off the tail, after Henry Brookes had helped Trott to add a valuable 54 in 12 overs for the ninth wicket. Henry had 19-year-old Brookes caught at third slip for an excellent 28, and then saw Oliver Hannon-Dalby snick his first ball to the keeper as the Kiwi paceman finished with 4 for 54 and take his remarkable season’s championship haul to 47 wickets.Warwickshire were 34 for 4 after Henry and Stevens each took two early scalps, before sliding further to 71 for 8 in glorious late afternoon sunshine as Podmore sent back Tim Ambrose, Barker and Jeetan Patel in quick succession.Trott, watching impassively from the non-striker’s end, had come in at No 4 when Ian Bell fell second ball for 4 to Henry, well held in the gully by Adam Riley. Bell’s first ball had been top-edged to the third man boundary.The rampant Henry, who began this match with 43 championship wickets at an average of 11 runs apiece, made the first strike too when he bowled Will Rhodes for 11 in the fifth over.The New Zealander has been one of the best overseas player signings in recent county history, but the veteran Stevens is still proving highly effective himself in English domestic cricket with 21 wickets at 14 before this game began.And the 42-year-old all-rounder was soon into the action with the wickets of Dom Sibley and Adam Hose in an opening spell of 8-3-18-2. Sibley nibbled at an outswinger and was caught behind for 1 while Hose was leg-before for 5.Then came Podmore, with the 23-year-old former Middlesex seamer producing a beauty to have Ambrose taken at second slip, pinning Barker lbw for 0, seeing Patel edge a drive at his second ball to go for 4 and then bowling Chris Wright for 8 with another terrific ball that clipped off stump.Kent, put in when Warwickshire captain Patel opted not to contest a toss, were in almost immediate trouble when Sean Dickson was bowled by Barker for 1 and Daniel Bell-Drummond, pushing forward, edged Wright to the keeper to go for 7.From 15 for 2, however, Denly and Heino Kuhn counter-attacked spiritedly and there were seven sparkling fours in the in-form Kuhn’s 39 as 51 runs were added for the third wicket.But Kuhn and Zak Crawley were both leg-before in three balls from Hannon-Dalby, and at 66 for 4 the home team were wobbling again.Stevens, with a punchy 27, helped Denly to add another 51 either side of lunch before edging Wright to second slip, and Adam Rouse had scored only 10 when he edged Brookes into the slip cordon.Barker then returned to wrap up the Kent first innings, snapping up the key wicket of Denly at 174 before bowling Henry for 2, trapping Podmore leg-before for a useful 22 and also winning an lbw shout against Ivan Thomas to send the No 11 back for 3. Riley finished 13 not out but the tail just failed to earn Kent a batting point.Soon, however, any thoughts of underachievement with the bat were put in perspective as Kent’s bowlers shattered Warwickshire’s reply in what has so far been a remarkable top-of-the-table contest. A good-sized crowd of 1,500 certainly got their money’s worth, too, but it remains to be seen if the pitch flattens out enough on day two to take this game into Friday, when a bigger attendance is forecast, let alone Saturday.

A week after sustaining a finger injury that sidelined him from the IPL final, India wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is still unclear about whether he will recover in time for Afghanistan’s inaugural Test, which starts on June 14 in Bengaluru.Saha is currently being monitored by the BCCI and is awaiting an X-ray report next week that will ascertain whether he will need surgery on his right thumb. He picked up the injury when he was struck by a Shivam Mavi bouncer during the IPL’s second qualifier.”The BCCI is keeping a track of my injury on a day-to-day basis. The decision lies with them,” Saha was reported as saying by . “To be honest, I might not be fit for that game. It’s not in my hands.”Saha had previously missed six games in the IPL with a shoulder niggle before the thumb injury. As things stand, he is the only specialist wicketkeeper in India’s 15-man squad for the Test; KL Rahul is the only plausible back-up option in the squad. If Saha is ruled out, he will likely be replaced by one of Parthiv Patel or Dinesh Karthik, who were both part of India’s last Test squad in South Africa when Saha had to be withdrawn from the tour with another injury.

With 252 runs in four matches this season for Kings XI Punjab, Chris Gayle has rediscovered the form that made him such a force for Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years, before he was released by the franchise ahead of the 2018 IPL.Gayle, however, revealed he’d been told RCB would retain him, only to not hear from the franchise again. “I was their biggest draw. It was disappointing from that end, because they had called me. They wanted me in the team and I was told that I will be retained,” Gayle told . “But they never called back after that. So that gave me the impression that they didn’t want me, and it’s fine.RCB let Gayle go after he scored only 200 runs at a strike rate of 122.69 in nine innings in the 2017 IPL, but between then and now the batsman had found T20 form.In the 2017 CPL, Gayle was the highest scorer for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He bettered that in the BPL, where he topped the tournament run charts by a distance and scored 146 not out with 18 sixes in the final.”I think I had a wonderful CPL and BPL – where I scored two centuries for my side Rangpur Riders. The stats don’t lie: 21 centuries, most number of sixes. If that doesn’t put a stamp on brand Chris Gayle, I don’t know what will.”Gayle nearly didn’t make it to this IPL entirely. Having gone unsold when his name came up for bidding the first time during the player auction in January, he was eventually bought at base price by Kings XI towards the end of the auction’s second day.”I’ll be honest in admitting that it was very surprising for me to not get picked by any team,” Gayle said. “I don’t know what went behind closed doors, but I also understand that these things happen,” he said. “It’s just the way it is. But it’s fine, I’ve moved on from it. Like I said, it’s a great opportunity to be playing for King XI Punjab, and so far I’ve had a great time. Perhaps it was supposed to happen, you know. King Gayle: destined to be playing for Kings XI Punjab.”After finally being picked at the auction, Gayle did not have a smooth start to the season either: he was benched for Kings XI’s first two games. However, after overseas batsmen Aaron Finch and David Miller had poor starts themselves, Gayle was given a go at the top of the order. He scored a 33-ball 63 against Chennai Super Kings and then followed up with a hundred and another half-century, forming a prolific opening partnership with KL Rahul, another player RCB let go.”Even though I was selected in the very last round of the auction, I wasn’t really worried about it,” Gayle said. “At some stage, you are going to walk away from the IPL and other forms of cricket. This is how I’ve always been: living in the present. But, given the sense that I was picked up and playing for a new franchise, it was very pleasing. And the way I have played in the first three games, I think it has been fantastic. I’m very happy with where I’m at.”