Eoin Morgan returns to lead England against Pakistan in T20Is

England have announced the squad for the T20I series against Pakistan. Captain Eoin Morgan who had missed the ODI series is back in the team and will lead the side. The three-match series is slated to begin on Friday (July 16, 2021) in Nottingham while the second and third match will be played in Leeds and Manchester respectively.

The selectors were forced to make changes in the original squad for the ODI series following a Covid-19 outbreak within the team. Seven members of the contingent had tested positive for the virus while the others were put into isolation immediately considering they were in close proximity.

All-rounder Ben Stokes led the side in Morgan’s absence against Pakistan. The hosts completed a whitewash win.

Head coach Chris Silverwood stated that they have selected an experienced squad for the T20I series. “We have selected a T20 squad that sees the return of many of our most experienced players after their period of isolation,” he said.

“Additionally, we have rewarded some of the players involved in the 50-over series win with selection which allows us to manage multi-format players as we prepare for the much-anticipated Test series against India,” he added.

Apart from Morgan, the likes of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran and Jonny Bairstow are also back in the side for the T20I fixtures.

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Sikandar Raza beats bone marrow infection to return to action

Sikandar Raza is back in the Zimbabwe squad for ODI series against Bangladesh. Raza had been out of action for an indefinite time after he had suffered an infection on his bone marrow. The infection was suspected to be cancerous at one stage. He underwent a surgery on April 2 to remove the tumour and was cleared of any serious illness but the recovery time was supposed to take several weeks. "I had pain in my right arm during the Abu Dhabi Tests," Raza told ESPNcricinfo. "We treated like it was muscular pain initially but the pain kept getting worse. I remember staying up all night, unable to sleep despite having sleeping pills. That's how I played the Test matches.” "After coming home, the ultrasound showed that the muscles are all fine. The MRI showed that I had a foreign or alien substance on my bone marrow. Seeing this the surgeon told me that this substance could make my shoulder bone so weak that I could fracture it by just throwing a ball,” Raza said then. Zimbabwe suffered a defeat in the one-off Test against Bangladesh and would look to turn fortunes for themselves in the limited-overs fixtures. The ODI series will commence on Friday (July 16, 2021) while the T20Is begin on July 23.

Each match to carry same points in second cycle of WTC

The second cycle of the World Test Championship will see some alterations n the points system. The teams will now get 12 points for a win, 4 points for a draw and 6 points for a tie unlike the previous edition where every series carried 120 points. "We received feedback that the previous points system needed to be simplified," ICC Acting Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said. "The Cricket Committee took this into consideration when proposing a new, standardized points system for each match. It maintained the principle of ensuring that all matches in a WTC series count towards a team's standing, while accommodating series varying in length between two Tests and five Tests,” he added. There would be nine teams that would battle it out in the WTC and will play six series, three home and three away. The second cycle of the competition will begin with the five-match Test series between India and England while the cut off date for the matches will be March 31, 2023. Apart from this, the teams would also lose a point for every over they are short. India will play New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka in home fixtures while will be up against England, South Africa and Bangladesh away from home. Defending champions New Zealand who won the inaugural edition after beating India in the final in Southampton will play South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home and India, Pakistan and England away from the home soil.

Chris Gayle's experience is extremely valuable to rebuilding of WI cricket: CWI Chief

Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief, Ricky Skerritt has said that the kind of experience has , especially in the shorter format of the game, is pretty valuable and helpful in rebuilding West Indies cricket. Skerritt further added that Gayle is the best T20 player of all time and has a lot to offer considering the upcoming World T20. "Chris Gayle is the best T20 cricketer of all time… his success and experience are extremely valuable to the rebuilding of West Indies cricket and especially in the preparation for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup," said Skerritt. The aggressive left-handed batsman added another feather to his hat during the third T20I against Australia after he notched up 14000-run mark in T20 format. West Indies rode on Gayle’s 38-ball 67 that included seven maximums to chase down a target of 142 by 6 wickets and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. The two teams will now play each other in the fourth clash at St Lucia. The Caribbean side will go into World T20 as the defending champions after they lifted the cup in 2016. West Indies defeated England in the final of the tournament. The Calypso team has won the T20 World Cup twice in 2012 and then in 2016.

Hardik Pandya could have been a good investment in captaincy: Childhood coach

The Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian team is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series and as many T20Is beginning on July 18. The selectors picked up as many six uncapped players for the tour while handing over the captain’s baton to Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named his deputy. All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s coach Jitendra Singh has expressed disappointment on his captaincy snub. Jitender while speaking to Cricket Next further added that the right-hander could have been a good option. “He can contribute. He has got the technique and temperament and maturity and if he gets an opportunity he can prove himself. The conditions don’t matter for him as his technique is sound and simple," Jitendra said. “Definitely, I was (on being asked if he was disappointed to see Hardik being snubbed for the role). He could have been a great option as he can play for five to seven years. He has got new thoughts and has a lot of energy. He could have been a good investment (in captaincy) especially for the white ball format,” he added. The ODI series will begin on July 18 while the T20Is are scheduled to commence on July 25. All the matches will be played at Colombo’s R.Premadasa Stadium.