Quetta Gladiators management are hopeful he recovers by their March 11 game against Multan Sultans

Umar Farooq in Lahore07-Mar-2020The injury suffered by Naseem Shah on March 5 during the PSL game between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi will see him miss the next week of games as doctors have advised him to rest for seven days. In the game, he walked off the ground after bowling two overs, and didn’t take the field again. It was later learnt that he had sprained his left ankle.The Quetta management informed the Pakistan Cricket Board about Shah’s situation and put him on rehabilitation with physiotherapist Nisar Khan. The management confirmed that his sprain is minor and not serious enough to ask for an immediate replacement. However, they named legspinner Zahid Mahmood as cover for Shah while he recuperates.ESPNcricinfo understands that the Pakistan national team’s management has raised concerns about Shah’s workload of playing back-to-back games in the PSL. Shah is an integral part of Pakistan’s plans for the World Test Championship, and the management had earlier urged the PCB, among other suggestions, to even monetarily compensate the teenager for the PSL games he was going to miss, to preserve him ahead of the national assignments. Late last year, Shah was pulled out of Pakistan’s Under-19 World Cup squad for the same reason.”We haven’t decided about any replacement yet because we are hopeful that he will recover before our game against Multan Sultans in Lahore [on March 11],” Azam Khan, Quetta manager told ESPNcricinfo.The bowling workloads of Shah, who turned 17 last month, have been the subject of scrutiny given how young he is – he has only played seven first-class matches outside of the four Tests. Over the last three months, he has made major strides in international cricket, holding records for the youngest to have taken a Test hat-trick and the youngest fast bowler to have taken a five-wicket haul.With all the success, injuries have continued to follow him too. After debuting in the first Test of the series in Australia last year, he missed the second Test, as a precaution after he complained of a knee niggle in the nets. Before he broke through, in 2018 he was sidelined for a large part of the season with a back injury, even forcing him to miss the PSL that year.After his spell against Bangladesh that brought him a hat-trick, he soon felt pain in his right rib cage and was taken to hospital for an MRI scan. There, however, he was cleared from any serious injury and was asked to rest ahead of the PSL. He went on to play five T20s for Quetta, taking only three wickets. If he does not play any further part in the tournament, his next major assignment will be the second Test against Bangladesh next month in Karachi.

Bangladesh allrounder hoping to pick from where he left off with the bat once he’s back in action

PTI12-May-2020Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is serving a two-year ban (one year suspended) for not reporting a corrupt approach, says not taking things lightly due to “ignorance” is the biggest lesson he has learnt from this whole episode.Shakib was banned by the ICC in October last after he accepted three charges of breaching the global body’s anti-corruption code. He will be free to resume international cricket on October 29 this year.”I have realised that there are certain things that you just cannot take lightly due to ignorance, and probably that is the biggest lesson I learnt during this time,” Shakib, who is currently in the USA, told . “It is a very difficult time for me because at the back of the mind you always think that I am not playing or not being able to play. The good thing is that I was able to stay with my wife during the birth of our second child.”I could not do that when my first daughter was born and I am trying to be with them in the lockdown. For me making sure that I am not depressed is extremely important as I am locked down in my house.”Shakib was in sublime touch with the bat before the ban brought him down, having scored 606 runs at 86.57 at the 2019 World Cup. Once he’s back, Shakib hopes to pick up again from where he left off.”First of all, I want to return to the game. I will return to the game after four-five months. No other decision [will be taken] before that. The biggest challenge is to be able to start again from where I had stopped, that is what I’m expecting from myself.”Wish I can start from where I ended up. That is the challenge for me, nothing else.”Shakib was sensational at No. 3 at the World Cup, and he said South Africa’s AB de Villiers inspired him to bat in that position.”I was talking to de Villiers during the BPL before the World Cup. It was just a normal conversation. He told me that at times he has batted late [in an innings]. If he had batted at No. 3 then he could have contributed more to the team and scored more runs.”Thinking about the team, he always had to play at four, five, six. His theory was to play in the middle order and score 70-80, which sometimes gives the advantage to the team and sometimes it doesn’t work. But had he batted at three, then he could have scored 100-120 and might have won more.”

An England tour appears the earliest comeback as coach prepares for new ways of working

Daniel Brettig18-Jun-2020Australia’s scheduled series against Zimbabwe in the top end in August looks certain to be cancelled after the head coach Justin Langer indicated he was planning to have the team ready to play by September in anticipation of a possible white-ball tour of England.On the day after Cricket Australia announced redundancies for 40 staff – far less than originally intended – as part of a reshaping of the governing body to reduce its cost base in a post-Covid-19 world, Langer spoke about undergoing the difficult task of telling the batting coach Graeme Hick he was no longer required as part of a reduced support staff.He also expressed hope that cricket could strike a balance between the relatively cash poor game in which he had first emerged and the all-expenses paid extremes of recent campaigns including the 2019 World Cup and Ashes, in which Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh were taken on as highly paid “guest” coaches to aid Langer and the captains Tim Paine and Aaron Finch.ALSO READ: Interim Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley calls for unity after redundancies“It’s been a tough few days actually, that’s the truth of it. Having to tell Hicky yesterday morning was like facing Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh without a helmet and a box on. I was that nervous because you become good friends with them,” Langer said. “They’re ripping human beings. There’s no doubt about that. You couldn’t meet a person with greater integrity than Graeme Hick and his work ethic is unbelievable.”It’s nothing he’s done it’s more the impact of the cost cutting that we’re doing, it was really hard as it was seeing Kevin Roberts go the other day. You build relationships with these guys and the human side of it kicked in yesterday, not just with Hickey and Kev, but some of the other cuts that happened.”Looking at the return to play, Langer said much remained to be assessed, but it was clear from his timelines that a mooted August series against Zimbabwe would likely disappear, without much complaint from the broadcaster Fox Sports.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I’m not sure when the soonest is. There’s obviously complexities to all these things,” he said. “Same with England. I’d imagine it’s really important for English cricket that the Australian cricket team goes there if we can. But it’s not as simple as that. With isolation periods and preparation then when we come back [and] when the ICC make the decision in July about the World Cup. Then if the IPL is going on, there’s so many moving parts at the moment. What I know is we’ll focus on being ready for early September.”In terms of resources, Langer reflected on the fact that while things would need to be pared down somewhat, they were not going to have to go down to the extent he saw in his early years, when some state teams travelled with just their coach and the national side overseas had just the coach Bob Simpson, physio Errol Alcott, scorer Mike Walsh and a revolving door of board directors as tour managers.”Won’t be to that degree that’s for sure, but we had a pretty good team even when it was like that didn’t we? Now we’ve got to a point where we will certainly have less staff on the road with us but the guys will still get great support, whether it’s remotely as we’ve seen over this Covid period, there’s a lot of support that can be given and serviced remotely.”We’ll all need to adapt to that. We’ll be a bit leaner and sharper that’s for sure, but we’ll survive. The players will still get the service required to put a great product on the team collectively and individually. And let’s face it – we had 14 or 15 people on the road with us a few months ago. That will change a little bit but it certainly won’t be as dramatic as it was back when I was a 19-year-old kid.”Langer was hopeful that the likes of Ponting and Waugh could be coaxed back to assist the team at times, but he admitted that a period of doing so much by remote video conferencing had opened his eyes to what would be possible in terms of selection meetings, among other things.David Warner takes the field•Getty Images

“If you’d have asked me 10 or 12 weeks ago, I’d have thought it’s nice to have a selector around or other people,” Langer said. “But I’m sure there’s going to be scope for using a lot more of this technology to make these decisions, to talk to the captain, to talk to the senior players and that’ll be a part of it.”As for cuts to the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, Langer said times had changed from his scholarship at the former ACB cricket academy in Adelaide, noting that the former “boot camp” style training for attendees was now replicated in each of the six states.”When I went to the cricket academy…it was just an amazing opportunity, to see what it was like to be a professional cricketer that trained every single day,” he said. “So back then, it was an incredible experience, but what I observe now is that the young players have that in their states now.”But the NCC, it’s an incredible facility. I’m sure there will be opportunities for our best young players to still do some overseas tours and get some exposure in India, Sri Lanka or areas that we don’t get to experience back here.”

Quinton de Kock opts out, replaced as Kites captain by Temba Bavuma

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2020On the eve of the 3TC tournament in Centurion, Reeza Hendricks has replaced Heinrich Klaasen as the Kingfishers’ captain after the organisers lent their support to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Kagiso Rabada was originally named captain of the side, but had to pull out following the death of a family member.”The decision came after organisers recognised and acknowledged the importance to walk the talk in matters of transformation and taking the lead from Cricket South Africa’s own policies and firm stance and support of the Black Lives Matter movement,” a CSA statement said.ALSO READ – FAQs: What to expect as 3TC makes its debut“It is important to stand by our convictions and to set the right example in everything we do,” CSA acting CEO Dr Jacques Faul said. “Cricket South Africa stands for equal opportunity and showcasing our country’s talent and its diversity.”On the morning of the match*, it was also announced that Quinton de Kock, captain of the Kites squad, would not be taking part in the game because of “unforeseen personal circumstances”. He was replaced in the team by 24-year-old batsman Ryan Rickelton, and Temba Bavuma was appointed team captain.After Lungi Ngidi threw his weight behind the anti-racism cause, Rudi Steyn, Pat Symcox and Boeta Dippenaar took issue with his statement on social media, sparking a big debate. Several prominent current and former South African players of colour have since backed the BLM movement. On Friday, Faf du Plessis also joined the movement, indicating that he, along with Dwaine Pretorius, will take a knee during the 3TC game on Saturday.Rassie van der Dussen, Anrich Nortje and Marizanne Kapp were other members of the white Afrikaans cricket community in South Africa to publicly support the anti-racism cause.Squads:
Kingfishers: Reeza Hendricks (captain), Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Faf du Plessis, Thando Ntini, Gerald Coetzee, Glenton Stuurman, Tabraiz Shamsi. Coach: Mignon du PreezKites: Temba Bavuma (captain), Jon-Jon Smuts, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, Ryan Rickleton. Coach: Wandile GwavuEagles: AB de Villiers (captain), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi. Coach: Geoffrey Toyana

“We all are really desperate because we have only been prepping mentally,” says Shubman Gill

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2020As the Indian contingent of the Kolkata Knight Riders set-up reached the UAE and settled into their team base at an Abu Dhabi hotel, Dinesh Karthik, the captain, promised “to give it all” despite the players – like others from India and many other parts of the world – not having played any competitive cricket in recent memory.”This IPL will be different. What has happened in the world has pained us deeply and it is surely a challenge to play cricket. But we understand that when we play the game, we bring happiness to our fans,” Karthik was quoted as saying by the Knight Riders website. “Yes, there will be a bio bubble. Yes, we haven’t played or trained extensively for the last few months. Yes, the road ahead may be full of obstacles. But we promise to give it all.”There will not be any practice sessions straightaway, as the squad complies with the quarantine requirements and SOPs and protocols put in place by the IPL Governing Council, but the players sounded gung-ho about getting down to business at the earliest opportunity.”Initially, it was very tough to adjust when the lockdown was imposed, because we were unable to practice outdoors. But I am completely ready now,” left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav said. “In fact, I will be happy if there is a match in the next seven days! I can’t wait to get back in action.” “I think we all are really desperate (to play) because for a long time, we were in our houses and we have only been prepping mentally. We all are really excited. I’m very excited to go out there and express myself,” Shubman Gill, the 20-year-old batsman who coach Brendon McCullum has marked as a part of the leadership group in the team, said.The IPL will start on September 19, with last year’s finalists Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, and Chennai Super Kings facing off, but the final list of fixtures, to be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, has not been made public yet.

All the buzz from the IPL 2020 game between the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Mumbai Indians

Saurabh Somani04-Oct-2020

The England batsmen is likely to be involved in the tour of South Africa ahead of the BBL

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2020Jason Roy has become the latest England player to sign for the upcoming BBL after joining the Perth Scorchers.He will link up with Liam Livingstone and it provides the Scorchers with enviable top-order options after last year’s opening pair of Livingstone and Josh Inglis became one of the most destructive in the league.Roy follows England team-mate Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes) in securing a BBL deal in recent days while Tom Banton (Brisbane Heat) and Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) will also be in show. Alex Hales is also returning to the Sydney Thunder.ALSO READ: BBL clubs to be allowed three overseas players in XIEngland have a limited-overs tour to South Africa which will finish on December 9 so it remains to be seen exactly when anyone who is part of that squad will be available for their BBL teams pending quarantine requirements when they reach Australia.”The Scorchers squad looks very strong, I’m excited to be joining the club,” Roy said. “I’ve heard the environment of the club is awesome and that it’s a place where everyone wants to help get the best out of each other.”Roy did not have the best season for England with just 49 runs in six ODIs against Ireland and Australia. He missed the T20Is against Pakistan and Australia due to injury but did finish strongly in the T20 Blast for Surrey with three half-centuries in his last four innings.He pulled out of his IPL deal with the Delhi Capitals in order to get himself back to full fitness.Meanwhile, the Scorchers have also signed pace-bowling duo Cameron Gannon – who joined Western Australia from Queensland over the winter – and Joel Paris.”Jason is a world-class performer who will bring added power and experience to our top order,” head coach Adam Voges said. “It’s great to be able to maintain a really strong WA flavour to our Scorchers squad. Both Joel and Cam bring plenty of experience and can fill a variety of roles throughout the tournament for us.”