Pat Cummins won't be returning for IPL in September: Reports

I had sleepless nights after that: Ravindra Jadeja reflects on his lean patch

Dynamic Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja revealed how he went through a dull phase post the 2017 Champions Trophy finals when he almost lost his place in the team and with the influx of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal’s partnership, he was thrown into neglect by the selectors and team management. "Honestly, those one-and-a-half years were filled with sleepless nights. Through that phase, I remember I would be up till 4-5 am. I would be thinking about what to do, how am I going to bounce back?” Jadeja told Indian Express in an interview. The 32-year-old would not be able to sleep and because he didn’t get many opportunities to showcase the talent, Jadeja was getting restless. "I was in the Test squad but not playing as we played a lot overseas. I wasn’t playing ODIs. I wasn’t playing domestic too as I would be travelling with the Indian team though not playing. I wasn’t getting any opportunity to prove myself. I would keep thinking about how I am going to come back," he said. However, as always in everybody’s life, there comes a second chance and for Jadeja, it was the Oval Test in 2018 that did the trick. "That Test changed everything for me. Poora (complete) game,” said the man who scored a belligerent 86* and also picked wickets in the non-consequential last game of the series. “My performance, my confidence, everything. When you score in English conditions against the best bowling attack, it greatly impacts your confidence. It makes you feel your technique is good enough to score anywhere in the world,” added the Jamnagar born. Hardik Pandya’s back injury also played a major role in Jadeja’s entry into the limited-overs team. Since then he hasn’t really looked back and why should he. The Saurashtra all-rounder has scored 878 runs and 55 wickets in 16 Tests, 497 runs and 33 wickets in 32 ODI games since 2018. This also includes the 77 off 59 balls that he scored in the Semi-Final of the 2019 World Cup. Apart from his knock, what is remembered best from the World Cup is his signature sword celebration pointing towards the commentary box, signalling to Sanjay Manjrekar who had termed Jadeja as a ‘bits and pieces player. Talking about that, Jaddu says, "Tab toh Bhatta garam tha, na! (The grill was hot, then!) I was searching for the commentary box. Then I thought, it must be somewhere there, only. And those who understand would know who I was targeting the celebration at! (laughs)." The all-rounder who is now an integral member of the team in all formats would be travelling with the team which would play the World Test Championship Final in Southampton against New Zealand, starting June 18. He would also feature in the five-match Test series against England that would start in August.

CPL 2021: Faf du Plessis takes over St. Lucia Zouks’ captaincy from Daren Sammy

Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis has been appointed as the new skipper of St. Lucia Zouks after Daren Sammy decided to hang up his boots for the franchise. The runners’ up from the last season, which was also their best in the eight season journey so far would be ed by someone other than Sammy for the first time ever. “I am excited to announce that Faf du Plessis would be taking over the captaincy of the St. Lucia Zouks franchise,” Sammy said in a video upload by the franchise on its official Twitter handle. “Having led the franchise since its inception, I want to thank them. I also want to wish Faf, who is known to be a great leader, a great man-manager and a great human being all the best,” added Sammy who led the team in a record 74 games, scoring 898 runs and picking 24 wickets at the same time. Praising the Proteas international who would be the only in his second stint in the CPL, having previously turned up for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sammy said, “This is the kind of personnel I think we need to have to take the Zouks franchise forward on the quest to win the title.” Transferring the symbolic cap off his head and offering it to du Plessis, the 37-year-old added, “Good luck and over to you sir, enjoy captaining Zouks as much as I did.” One of the most successful captains to have led South Africa with 18 wins in 36 Tests, du Plessis is excited for the new role as well. “I am super excited to be joining up with the CPL this year, I will be joining the St. Lucia Zouks team as a skipper. I am an outsider but I expect local legend Daren Sammy to show me the ropes,” said the 36-year-old who has experience of playing 246 T20s in his career.

Who is Smit Patel: Indian U-19 World Cup winner set to take part in Caribbean Premier League

Former Indian U-19 World Cup winner, Smit Patel is set to play in the Caribbean Premier League 2021 scheduled to be hosted from August 28 in St Kitts and Nevis of the tropical islands. The 28-year-old right-handed batsman-keeper shocked the Indian cricketing circles when his name was included in the Barbados Tridents squad. Having shot to fame in 2012 when he forged a match-winning partnership with skipper Unmukt Chand to lead India to a U-19 World Cup triumph, Patel has not been able to establish himself in the Indian domestic scene in recent years. His inclusion in the Tridents squad means that Patel will be the second Indian cricketer to play in the Caribbean Premier League after Pravin Tambe, who played in the franchise tournament in 2020. Claim to fame Starting off their 2012 U-19 World Cup campaign with a defeat against West Indies, the young brigade bounced back strongly and managed to win all their remaining matches to lift the title. After restricting Australia to a moderate total of 225, the Indian junior team seemed to be under the pump getting reduced to 97/4 in the 25th over. However, it was an astonishing fightback from skipper Unmukt Chand and Smit Patel which helped India claw their way back into the game and win the final with six wickets remaining. While Unmukt Chand played the attacking role to perfection and scored a hundred, Smit Patel played the perfect foil for Chand as he rotated the strike along perfectly and found the boundaries in crucial junctures of the game. Patel remained unbeaten on 62 of 84 deliveries which included four boundaries and shared an unbeaten 130 runs stand with his skipper. Is he eligible to play in the CPL? While Patel hasn’t announced his retirement from India cricket, his entry in CPL effectively means he has called it quits from any forms of cricket in India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India rules state that an Indian player cannot take part in any overseas leagues until he retires from the Indian cricketing circuit (domestic and international) and IPL. Pravin Tambe was the first Indian to play in the CPL plying his trade for the Trinbago Knight Riders. Tambe was picked in the 2020 IPL by the Kolkata Knight Riders but was removed from the final list after it was learnt that he had already played in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. He played the Caribbean Premier League after retiring from the Indian circuit. Domestic career and recent form Following his claim to fame in U-19 Cricket, Patel soon made his first-class debut for Gujarat in November 2012. After missing out in the first innings, he made his presence felt with a fluent 60 against Madhya Pradesh. He then subsequently moved to Goa before finishing his domestic career with Baroda. Patel played for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year. He scored a classy 73 in his last Vijay Hazare clash against his former team Gujarat. However, he wasn’t in the best of touch in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Patel has so far played 55 first-class matches, 43 List A and 28 T20 matches. Plans for future It’s never easy for someone in India to realise their dream of playing cricket. At the age of 28 years, Smit Patel has moved to the USA in order to realise his dream of playing international cricket. When his name sprung up in the CPL drafts list it became clear that he has retired from Indian cricket. However, what made heads turns was his registration as a Major League Cricket player. This effectively means that he has permanently shifted to the United States of America. He has already played a few practice matches of the Major Cricket League and is hoping to reinvent his career there.

With key Australia & England series in focus, Shakib unlikely to get NOC for CPL 2021

Bangladesh superstar Shakib Al Hasan who signed up for the 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League with his former side Jamaica Tallawahs, might not be able to play for them as key series for the national side might be prioritised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. As of now, no decision has been taken regarding the NOC, but it seems that the 34-year-old might have to forget about the franchise-based tournament which begins on August 28. BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan informed about the plans. "We have not taken any decision about it (NOC for CPL). When the time comes we can make a decision in this regard," he was quoted as saying to Cricbuzz. Khan further said, "We certainly want to play against them with our full strength squad,” suggesting that Shakib might not be given the NOC in favour of a stronger national side. The left-handed batsman struggled a lot during the recent three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, scoring only 19 runs including a duck. "Of course, my expectations weren't fulfilled during the series. But I have to ensure that these things won't happen next and it's very important," Shakib told reporters ahead of the start of the Dhaka Premier League in which he would turn up for Mohammedan Sporting Club.