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Babar Azam To Open, Shardul To Join Essex And MI Win – February 18 Cricket Highlights

Aakash Saini

Mumbai Indians and Babar Azam [Source: @wplt20/x, AP photos]Mumbai Indians and Babar Azam [Source: @wplt20/x, AP photos]

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Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan confirmed Babar Azam’s batting position for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Shardul Thakur signed a County Championship deal with Essex. Moreover, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel flew back home midway from India’s training camp.

Capping an eventful day in the world of cricket, here we take a look at five of the biggest cricketing news that emerged out of Tuesday, February 18.

Shardul Thakur Bags County Deal With Essex

Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has signed a County Championship deal with Essex for the upcoming 2025 season. The 33-year-old has agreed to play seven matches for the cricket club in the championship, scheduled to commence from April 4 onwards.

Thakur, who has not been considered for national selection since December 2023, has demonstrated his proficiency with both bat and ball off late for the Mumbai team in domestic cricket. The all-rounder was one of the architects of India’s historic Test series win in Australia back in early 2021.

Morne Morkel Flies Back Home Before India’s CT 2025 Opener

Indian bowling coach and former South African cricketer Morne Morkel abruptly departed from the team’s training camp in Dubai to address a personal matter. Morkel touched base in Dubai on February 15 along with the rest of the Indian cricket team players and coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.

With no update on Morne Morkel’s return, Team India will likely face Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai without the services of its fast-bowling coach.

Azharuddeen Ton, Dube’s Five-Fer Headline Day 2 Of Ranji Trophy Semifinals

The Kerala cricket team moved from 206-4 to 418-7 by batting throughout Day 2 of the first semifinal of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy against Gujarat. Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Azharuddeen plundered 149* runs from 303 balls, and will resume Kerala’s first innings on Day 3 alongside tailender Aditya Sarwate. Salman Nizar also chipped in with a watchful half-century, and shared 149 runs for the sixth wicket with centurion Azharuddeen.

In the second semifinal in Nagpur, Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube completed a sensational five-wicket haul to limit Vidarbha to 383 despite resuming Day 2 at an imposing 308-5. However, Mumbai batters squandered away their chance of seizing crucial momentum as they reached just 188-7 before close of play on Day 2. For Vidarbha, spinner Parth Rekhade picked up the prized scalps of Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube.

Captain Rizwan Confirms Babar Azam’s Batting Position For Pakistan In CT 2025

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan has confirmed that Babar Azam will continue to open the innings for his team in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. A day before the tournament’s curtain-raiser between New Zealand and co-hosts Pakistan, Rizwan claimed that Babar is “satisfied” with his newfound batting position.

Notably, Babar Azam also opened the innings for Pakistan throughout the recently-concluded ODI tri-series at home against New Zealand and South Africa. However, the seasoned Pakistani campaigner returned with underwhelming numbers as he managed to tally just 62 runs in three innings.

Mumbai Indians Beat Giants With Nat Sciver’s 57, Hayley’s Three-Fer

Mumbai Indians steamrolled Gujarat Giants by five wickets and nearly four overs to spare in match five of the WPL 2025 season in Vadodara. Chasing just 121 runs for a win, number three batter Nat Sciver-Brunt did the bulk of the scoring through her 57-run knock from just 39 balls with 11 boundaries and a six.

Earlier in the match, Nat Sciver also picked up the big wickets of Beth Mooney and Gujarat Giants skipper Ashleigh Gardner to claim figures of 2-26. Hayley Matthews unfurled the spell of the innings with economical figures of 3-16 from her four overs as Mumbai Indians enveloped the entire Giants line-up for just 120.