Jasprit Bumrah released from Indian squad

Indian team not keen on playing Pink-ball Test: Report

The pitch for the third Test between India and England in Motera has received some criticism after the spinners rattled the batting line ups. While Axar Patel scalped 11 wickets in the match, Ashwin picked up 7, Jack leach and Joe Root got four and five wickets respectively. While the track created some controversies, the Indian players are reluctant to play the pink-ball Test. As per a report in The Indian Express, the feedback of the players is “being taken seriously” by the team management. “What the players say is important. We will take a call soon on whether we should host pink-ball Tests in the future,” a BCCI official told the paper. “The problem when facing the pink ball is that it skids much faster compared to the red ball. Muscle memory makes batsmen believe that the ball will come at a particular speed after pitching, like they are used to when playing with the red ball. But the pink ball comes much faster. This is a major issue. Also, our players are not keen to play Day-Night Tests because the pink ball has too many variables, including difficulty in sighting the ball,” a member of the Indian team management said. Opening batsman Rohit Sharma who scored a crucial half-century in the first innings and remained not out at 25 in the second in India’s 10-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium explained how the batsmen have to tweak the approach while facing the pink ball. “The red ball does not come on so quickly onto the bat. It also has got to do with the conditions in the evening. The temperature goes down a degree or two plus there’s the dew factor as well. But all in all, the pace of the pink ball is slightly quicker than the red ball. It is something that we need to adjust to as quickly as possible and understand what we need to do.” India have so far played three Day-night Test where they have won two and lost one in Adelaide after the side was bowled out for 36.

IND vs ENG | Chris Woakes flies back home

England all-rounder Chris Woakes has returned back from the Test tour as part of the ECB’s rotation policy. Woakes was with English team on the tours of South Africa, Sri Lanka and India but didn’t play a single match during the course. The right-handed all-rounder last played for England in an ODI against Australia in September last year. ECB’s rotation policy has received some criticism from the former cricketers. “India are going to come to England in the summer. If they are 2-0 up or 1-0 up, will they rotate? I don’t think they will. These tours, Englishmen going to Australia or India, they are the pinnacle….if you win in those conditions, they are remembered for a long long time. And I know for a fact when India come to England and if they go up 1-0, they would not be rotating their best bowlers, or leaving somebody out, they want to win,” Ian Bell had said earlier while talking to ESPN Cricinfo. Moeen Ali and wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler had departed from the series after playing the first two fixtures while Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood joined the squad for the last two matches against India as part of the same policy. England presently trail the four-match series 1-2 and have been knocked out of the World Test Championship. If they manage to win the fourth Test the Australia will play the final of the WTC against New Zealand at Lord’s but if they draw or suffer a defeat in this encounter, India will march into the finals.

Chris Gayle returns to West Indies T20I squad

West Indies aggressive top-order batsman Chris Gayle has returned to the side for the T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. The left-handed batsman was recalled on the basis of his recent performances. The 14-man squad will be led by Kieron Pollard. Apart from Gayle, Fidel Edwards is also back in the team. The three-match series slated to begin from March 3 will be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. “Chris Gayle has performed very well in recent tournaments and the selection panel thinks that he can still add great value to our team,” Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) lead selector, said in a media release. “As we build towards the defence of the T20 World Cup, the opportunity is being taken to determine our best team and squad as we go forward.” Gayle has played in 103 Tests, 301 ODIs and 58 T20Is since making his international debut in 1999. The left-handed batsman has numerous T20 records to his name. He is the highest run-getter in the shortest format of the game while one of his finest innings came against Pune Warriors India back in 2013 where he scored 175* for RCB in the IPL. T20I Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Rovman Powell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair. ODI Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Shai Hope, Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Jason Mohammed, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair.

PSL 6: On the move Islamabad face Peshawar in top of the table clash

Peshwar Zalmi after winning two back to back thrillers have emoved to the second position in the Points table displacing Lahore Qlanadrs to the third. But above them are Islamabad United who are still the only unbeaten side in the Pakistan Super League so far. The two teams will come face to face at top of the table clash when they meet at each other in the second game of the double header’s day in Karachi. While Islamabad seem to have patented the art of coming back from behind and getting partnership in the middle order to chase down any total, Peshwar too have built a rapport in chasing down totals. It would therefore be interesting to see if any of them could break the eight-match streak of not being able to defend a total in PSL. All-rounders hold key for Islamabad Although it has been two Englishmen in Alex Hales and Lewis Gregory who have led United to victory in the last two games, the team is more or less dependent on the all-rounders that it has got plenty in number. Be it Shadab Khan the skipper, Faheem Ashraf, Lewis Gregory, Hasan Ali or Iftikhar Ahmed, the availability of these many players with the dual ability to ball and bat pushes the management to try different combinations. The form of the middle order is another plus point for the team from the capital enjoys ahead of the all-important clash. The Sherus as they are called would be wagging their tails to give it a go against their strongest opponent so far. The likes of Alex Hales, Asif Ali and Hussain Talat would be rubbing their hands to get on to the field and showcase their class as they did against the Karachi Kings. United are also the only team in the tournament so far to play with just three foreigners instead of four allotted in the quota, indicating how much belief they have in their homegrown talent. Peshawar to take inspiration from the last two wins When everyone thought that it was over for the Zalmi, someone or the other always rose to the occasion, guiding the team home, be it Haider Ali or Sherfane Rutherford or senior pro, Shoiab Malik. Even Wahab Riaz rescued the ship with his bat in an unexpected scenario. It is this belief of the team in its players that has been sailing it through all hurdles. But now, this game is going to be a proper battle of the batting prowess of both teams. But usually, such situations bring the best out of the less fancied trade and hence bowling could turn out to be a handy option for the Zalmi if they bowl on the right lengths. Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United: Match Details Match Number- 10 Date and Time: 27th Feb, 07:30 pm IST, 07:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT Venue: National Stadium, Karachi Broadcast and Live Stream: Sony SIX, Sony LIV Pitch Report The same pitch on which the game would have been played in the afternoon would be used for the evening game too. Hence it would most likely be a bit dry wicket early on in the game. But as time would pass, dew would settle in on the ground, making it a flat deck and batting heaven. Weather Update The Karachi weather in the evening is supposed to remain calm with temperatures ranging between 28-24 degrees celsius. In such weather with dew settling in, the captains would be motivated to field first after winning the toss. Probable XI Peshawar Zalmi Kamran Akmal (wk), Imam-ul-Haq, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Wahab Riaz (c), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mahmood, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan Islamabad United Philip Salt (wk), Alex Hales, Shadab Khan (c), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Zafar Gohar, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr Dream XI / Fantasy XI Alex Hales (c), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Shoaib Malik, Haider Ali (vc), Sherfane Rutherford, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Saqib Mahmood, Hasan Ali