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Wi Vs Sa T20is Andre Russel Fit To Go After Psl Injury Named In West Indies 13 Man Squad

WI vs SA | T20Is: Andre Russel fit to go after PSL injury, named in West Indies 13 man squad

West Indies announced a 13 man squad on June 25 for the five-match T20I series against South Africa starting June 26 in Grenada. Andre Russell, who suffered a concussion injury in the very first match that he played in the Abu Dhabi leg of the Pakistan Super League, has been named in the squad, indicating that he has fully recovered from that blow.

"Andre Russell will add that 'X' factor to the team. He is an impact player with both bat and ball and lends greater depth in both departments," Roger Harper, the chief selector of West Indies said on the occasion of squad announcement.

The squad is almost the same as the one that played against Sri Lanka in March this year. The four players in contention for two places in the XI could be Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher for the number three spot and Fidel Edwards and Obed McCoy for the extra feast bowler squad.

“The aim is to build on the performance against Sri Lanka earlier this year, to build confidence while determining our best squad and team as we run into the ICC T20 World Cup,” Harper said.

South Africa whitewashed West Indies 2-0 in the Test series. However, this format is different and favours the hosts. The first match of the series begins at National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada on June 26 at 11: 30 pm IST.

Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair

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Josh Inglis roped in by the London Spirit for the upcoming Hundred as Maxwell's replacement

Swashbuckling Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has withdrawn his name from the inaugural season of the men’s Hundred competition and Western Australia’s Jos Inglis has been roped in as a replacement for Maxwell. He joins the likes of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis to pull out of the competition. Meanwhile, he has also made himself unavailable for the limited-overs tour to the Caribbean shores and Bangladesh. Maxwell had earlier signed up with the London Spirit and it was coach Shane Warne who confirmed that Maxwell will be unavailable for the competition during a Fox Cricket podcast. "Unfortunately Glenn Maxwell has pulled out of the Hundred. We were really excited to get him in the draft. We know he's a match-winner and we were excited to have him,” Warner said. “Unfortunately he's pulled out of that and we've now replaced him with Josh Inglis from Western Australia, so we are lucky to have him,” Warne further added. Inglis became the frontrunner to replace Maxwell after he was left out of Australia’s white-ball tours to West Indies and Bangladesh. Inglis has been in exceptional form with the bat during the BBL and the Marsh One-day Cup so it was a bit surprising that he was left out of the national squad despite several of their first-choice players withdrawing their names from the two tours. Inglis is currently playing for Leicestershire in the Vitality T20 Blast and has already scored 269 runs including an unbeaten century against Northamptonshire last week.

Tamil Nadu Premier League expected to be held in July-August

The fifth edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is expected to be played between July-August. As per reports in the Cricbuz, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) official told the website that TNCA, the organisers of the league is expecting a go-ahead from the state government and is planning to hold the tournament from July 19 to August 15. Like many other tournaments across the world, the previous edition of the TNPL had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament won’t see any crowds with Chennai hosting the majority of the 32 games. The other shortlisted venues for the tournament are Tirunelveli, Dindigul, Salem and Coimbatore but it will only be finalised on the advice of the state government. "We are planning three phases for the league. We intend to start the league in Chennai because the Covid cases are down in the city. Basing on the government's approval, the matches will be held in two other venues and we will come back to Chennai for the final," the TNPL official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. Meanwhile, official confirmation for the exact dates and venues is expected to come out in a day or two. The TNPL got a go-ahead from the apex council of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in April when it allowed all the state boards to conduct their leagues on the condition that it doesn’t clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and abide by the BCCI rules. The eight teams in the competition are Chepauk Super Gillies, Dindigul Dragons, Lyca Kovai Kings, Trichy Warriors, iDream Tiruppur Tamizhans, Siechem Madurai Panthers, Salem Spartans and VB Kanchi Veerans.

Reports: T20 World Cup likely to be held in UAE from October 17

The upcoming T20 World Cup which was originally slated to be played in India later this year is expected to commence from October 17 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The final of the multi-nation event is expected to be played on 14th November. As per reports in ESPN Cricinfo, the 16 team tournament will commence just two days after the IPL final which is expected to be played on 15th October. The second leg of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played in UAE with a tentative starting date of 19th September. The BCCI is yet to write to the ICC officially about shifting the world event to UAE but reports suggest that they have already started planning for the tournament to be held in UAE. According to the current plan in place, the first round of the mega event will be split across two groups and will be played in the UAE and Oman. The first round of the tournament will include 12 matches and comprise of eight teams from which the top two from each group will qualify for the Super 12s. Four teams from the lot of eight including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Namibia, Oman and Papua New Guinea will then progress to the Super 12 joining the top 8 ranked T20I teams. The Super 12 which will consist of 30 matches is slated to start from 24th October where the teams will be split in two groups of six each. All the matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah followed by the two semi-finals and the final.

No first-class matches for India ahead of England tour despite BCCI's request

The Indian cricket team which is currently in England for the upcoming five-match Test series against England will only get to play two intra-squad games at the Riverside ground in Durham to prepare for the Test series against England. The side led by Virat Kohli is unlikely to get any first-class warm-up matches against county sides which is expected to hamper their preparations. Kohli has also expressed his disappointment at not having abt first-class games before the series against England. The first Test will commence in Nottingham from August 4. “Due to COVID-19 protocols, they will play two intra-squad four-day matches before the first Test in August," an ECB spokesperson was quoted as saying by PTI on Friday. It is learnt that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) request ECB for a few practice games but the prevailing COVID-19 crisis won’t allow such plans to go ahead. When asked if there is any chance of organising practice games against county sides the ECB spokesperson said, “No”. Across the various counties in England, players are being regularly tested for COVID but are not kept in any bubble. Meanwhile, the Indian team will assemble in London on 14th July before moving to Durham where they will again enter the bubble. “The domestic cricketers of England not being in a bubble is an issue for sure. That’s why the games in Durham will be intra-squad ones," a BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity. The Indian side is currently travelling with 24 players with 20 in the official squad and four in the reserve list which will allow them to play intra-squad games.