Selectors deny Kohli’s request to send Prithvi or Padikkal as Gill’s replacement to England: Reports

The request made by the Indian team in England to send either Prithvi Shaw or Devdutt Padikkal as a replacement for injured Shubman Gill in England has been denied by the Indian selection committee led by Chetan Sharma. If reports are to be believed, the decision had many factors behind it. However, the main one was the presence of Abhimanyu Easwaran as a specialised member in the additional squad.

“Selectors have turned down Ind Management’s request to send 2 backup openers (Prithvi & Padikkal). No replacement will be sent. If Gill is out, Easwaran will be drafted in. Rohit & Mayank start as openers and while Rahul was picked in middle order, he can open if needed #Breaking,” senior cricket journalist Vikrant Gupta tweeted late on July 6th.

Both Padikkal and Shaw are in Sri Lanka with the Indian white-ball side to play a three-match each ODI and T20I series, which begins on July 13th at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. As far as the Indian Test team are concerned, their series against England begins on August 4 with the first Test Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

The other reason being floated apart from the presence of Easwaran is the flight ban to England from Sri Lanka and if either of the two among Shaw and Padikkal is to be sent, they would have to first quarantine at another location in the flying list to England and hence the purpose defeats itself.

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It’s my duty to serve my country: Rashid Khan after being named T20I captain

Afghanistan’s newly appointed T20I captain Rashid Khan has said that it is his duty to serve the nation and he is delighted to get an opportunity to lead the country that gave him the name and fame that he has right now. “I’m a great believer that a captain is as good as his team. It is Afghanistan Flag that gave me the name RASHID KHAN & it is my duty now to serve my country & my team,” Rashid tweeted after being given the captaincy earlier in the evening on Tuesday, July 6th. “Thank you @ACBofficials for the trust & believing in me. It is a dream journey & my fans support will be the key.” the 22-year-old leggie added in the tweet. The Nangarhar born was earlier appointed as Afghanistan all formats captain in 2019 just ahead of the World Cup. But he had a dismal run, losing six out of the seven ODIs, and three out of the four T20Is. Among the two Tests, he won one against Bangladesh and lost one to West Indies. Rashid, who was awarded the ICC T20I cricketer of the Decade, has plied his trade in leagues across the world and is one of the most famous names in the game. With the T20 World Cup around, he along with his deputy, Najibullah Zadran would have their task cut out.

Watch: Babar Azam’s virtual interaction with Pakistan’s special fan is adorable

Pakistan team captain Babar Azam and manager Mansoor Rana caught up with a special fan of the national team, a young, specially-abled boy Mohammad Akeel, before their arrival in Cardiff for the first match of the three-match ODI series against hosts England. Akeel, a big fan of Babar and his Pakistan Super League side Karachi Kings along with the national team, lives in England and his video of welcoming the Pakistan team to England went viral in June this year. The special fan was earlier thanked by Babar personally on his official Twitter account. During this interaction, the happiness of the fan can be seen through the ever-present smile on his face during the entire video conversation. While Babar thanked him profusely for his support to the national team and wished him luck in his feature endeavours, Rana, the team manager threw a surprise to Akeel, asking the young boy to come and see Pakistan play against England at Leeds during the second T20I on July 18, 2021. Akeel liked the surprise very much and agreed to come and cheer for the Pakistan team. Before the T20I series, Babar and his team would be plying their trade in a three-match ODI series, starting July 8 with the first ODI in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

Welcome sign for India as Hardik Pandya resumes bowling in nets

In what would come as a welcome sign for India leading up to the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya has started redeeming his all-around ability by resuming bowling in net sessions. India’s middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav has confirmed that Hardik Pandya bowled in the intra-squad match played between Team Bhuvneshwar and Team Shikhar in Colombo before the ODI series takes off on July 13. "I think that the team management and Hardik knew their responsibilities really well, so they were taking a call. Here, in the intra-squad game, he did bowl in the nets. He is bowling. It is his and the team management's call how they want to go about it. But yes, he is bowling and it is a very good sign,” Yadav said on July 6 from Colombo. He has not bowled a single delivery in the last two editions of the Indian Premier League and bowled only a handful of overs on the tour of Australia when India were in desperate need of an extra bowler. Hardik’s inability to bowl after repetitive back injuries and subsequent surgery disturbed the overall balance of the Indian ODI and T20 side. However, the all-rounder might soon resume bowling in Indian colours and go full tilt come to the T20 World Cup in November.

ECB guarantees safety of Pakistan players amid Covid outbreak, PCB satisfied with it

The Pakistan Cricket Board has been guaranteed and assured by England and Wales Cricket Boda that its players and support staff are being looked after well amid the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the England team’s bio bubble, forcing it to name an altogether different squad for the upcoming series. “Pakistan Cricket Board has been in close contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board regarding concerns about the health and safety of its players since the news of Covid-19 outbreak in the England camp was shared with it on late Monday evening,” PCB said in a media release on Tuesday, July 6. “The PCB is satisfied by the assurances and guarantees provided by the ECB on behalf of its medical panel, and feels comfortable with the existing protocols that have been put in place to ensure all the Pakistan players and player support staff remain safe and secure throughout the duration of the series,” it further added. The PCB has also spoken to its contingent in Derby and has advised them to take extra caution. “The PCB has also been in touch with its team management and has advised them to exercise extra caution while in the hotel or at the match venue,” the release said. Due to the sudden rise in cases, ECB was forced to make a lot of changes and roped in an altogether different squad from the one that was named days earlier. The new squad comprises nine uncapped players who would be vying for a place in the team in the first ODI on July 8 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.