His wife is expected to give birth in early January, which could potentially rule him out of the second and third Tests

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2021Quinton de Kock will miss at least the third Test between South Africa and India as he awaits the birth of his first child. De Kock’s wife Sasha is expected to give birth in early January, which could rule him out of both the second and third Tests, especially given bio-bubble conditions.South Africa’s selection convener Victor Mpitsang confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he expects de Kock “to miss the last Test”, which will leave the team without their wicketkeeper and key lower-middle-order batter. Should de Kock need to leave the bubble earlier than the last Test, for example during the second Test, it is unlikely he will be able to return to the biosecure environment in time for the final Test. One of Kyle Verreynne and Ryan Rickelton will play in de Kock’s place.Verreynne made his debut on South Africa’s tour of West Indies in June in the absence of vice-captain Temba Bavuma, who was injured. He scored 39 runs in three innings. He has since played three first-class matches for Western Province and scored one half-century. Rickelton, who is uncapped, has had a better recent run. He is 10th on the first-class batting charts this season, and has scored two centuries in his last three games as well as led the Lions to the top of the points table.The last time de Kock sat out a South Africa game was at the T20 World Cup, where he opted out of the second group-stage match after refusing to comply with a CSA board directive to take the knee. De Kock subsequently took a knee in the remaining three matches. CSA has since confirmed that the national team will take a knee throughout the summer. This Test series will be the first time South Africa’s red-ball team collectively takes a knee after the board gave players the choice to take a knee, raise a fist, or stand to attention on their tour of the West Indies.

Team now relying on Sri Lanka to beat West Indies on Friday

Sreshth Shah20-Jan-2022In their final Group D match, Australia needed a big win to give themselves their best chance of making the quarter-final, and they did so by chasing Scotland’s target of 237 with more than ten overs to spare. Opener Teague Wyllie, Australia’s Player of the Match in their win over West Indies, struck an unbeaten 101 and No. 3 Aidan Cahill a quick-fire 72.

Zimbabwe’s Victor Chirwa suspended from bowling

Victor Chirwa, the 18-year old left-arm wristspinner from Zimbabwe, was found to have an illegal action and as such the ICC has barred him from bowling in all international tournaments.

Chirwa was reported by officials at the Under-19 World Cup after he picked up 2 for 11 in seven overs against Papua New Guinea.

Upon further video analysis by the Event Panel, it was confirmed that Chirwa flexes his elbow beyond the allowed 15 degrees and was handed down his punishment.

Australia’s chase began with a century stand between Wyllie and Campbell Kellaway (47), followed by the 97-run second-wicket partnership between Wyllie and Cahill with the latter going at a strike-rate of 160. With only three wickets down, No. 5 Isaac Higgins hit the winning runs, a boundary, in the 40th over.In the first innings, Scotland reached 236 courtesy a couple of 54s from opener Charlie Tear and No. 3 Thomas Mackintosh. But Australia captain Cooper Connolly used as many as eight bowlers to get the breakthroughs. Cahill, the eighth bowler used, took 2 for 33 in his five overs, while seam bowler William Salzmann rattled Scotland in the slog overs with two wickets.Australia’s big win gave them a net run-rate boost but with four points they are not assured of qualification. If West Indies beat Sri Lanka in a very close finish, then Australia could be eliminated to the Plate round. If Sri Lanka beat West Indies, Australia will qualify.

The players will join their teams from January 24, at the end of their isolation periods, if they produce two negative test results

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2022Just days ahead of the new PSL season, beginning January 27, three players and five support staff have returned positive for Covid-19 after the latest round of tests, and have gone into isolation, the tournament director Salman Naseer has confirmed. The players will be allowed to join their teams for training sessions from January 24, at the end of their isolation periods, if they produce two negative test results.Members of the six franchises have started checking in at their hotels, after having returned negative results in the pre-arrival tests, of which over 250 have been conducted since Thursday.As a precautionary measure, the PCB had started pre-emptive testing of the hotel staff and PCB officials from January 14 – the hotel staff who had tested positive were released and they remain in home isolation for the moment.Related

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“PCB remains committed to creating a safe and secure environment for all participants so that they can play and perform to the best of their abilities,” Naseer said in a statement. “In the environment that we presently live in, there will be positive cases, but we have robust health and safety plans to ensure the event is played and concluded in the 27 January to 27 February window.”According to the PSL 2022 blueprint, there will be as many as 17 rounds of tests during the competition. There is a mandatory three-day quarantine, followed by four days of training before the tournament starts in Karachi. The first three days of quarantine will have regular testing before everyone with two negative RT-PCR results is allowed to enter the bubble. Every individual will then have an RT-PCR test every second day.The PCB has taken extra precautions, which includes provisions to avoid a postponement even if a few players contract Covid-19, with the franchises allowed 20 players on their rosters, with an additional pool of reserve players to provide cover in case of an emergency.The board has also chalked out detailed health and safety protocols at venues and has a step-by-step guide for every stage of the tournament.

Bangladesh restricted to 194 as Afif’s 72 not enough

Mohammad Isam20-Mar-2022
Kagiso Rabada’s second five-wicket haul along with fifties from Quinton de Kock and Kyle Verreynne helped South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets and level the three-match ODI series at 1-1.The home side reached the target of 195 in 37.2 overs, with de Kock top-scoring with 62 and Verreynne remaining unbeaten on 58.South Africa’s fast bowlers used the short ball to good effect as the visitors’ top order was blown away. Bangladesh were 34 for 5 in the 13th over and that they reached closer to 200 was down to Afif Hossain’s 72 off 107 balls.While chasing, de Kock set the platform when he went after Taskin Ahmed with a six over wide long-on, and then hit him for two fours. He then swept Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a four before lofting him over covers for his second six. South Africa got off to a good start, and Jannemann Malan, who had struck two fours early and began aggresively, played the second fiddle.de Kock then struck three fours in a row off Shoriful Islam, before hitting two more fours as brought up his 28th fifty off 26 balls. Soon after his fifty, the left-hander was dropped by Mushfiqur off Mehidy, when he was on 54.Mehidy, however, made up for the dropped chance by picking up the wicket of Malan in the 13th over, but by then the openers had added 86 runs. Malan was bowled for 26 when he missed a sweep. Shakib Al Hasan dismissed de Kock when Afif intercepted his slog sweep, and then hopped near the boundary rope to take the catch.South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and Verreynne didn’t allow Bangladesh to make further in-roads, as they shared an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Both struck the ball sweetly once settled, with Verreynne hitting Taskin for two sixes over square-leg, and Bavuma also targeting the same bowler. Taskin had an off-day as he was hit for four sixes, the most in a match in his ODI career.Bavuma got out with 19 runs needed for the win, as Verreynne and Rassie van der Dussen completed the formalities.Earlier, South Africa’s fast bowlers ripped through the Bangladesh top order, with Rabada inflicting three early blows and Lungi Ngidi getting Tamim Iqbal in the third over. Tamim’s forward prod met with the extra bounce and resulted in a simple catch for Keshav Maharaj running in from backward point.Shakib Al Hasan succumbed to Rabada’s hint of extra bounce, top-edging a catch to Verreynne at cover. The in-form Litton Das tried to get Bangladesh out of trouble, but he too was undone by Rabada’s short ball. Rabada cramped Litton for room, having the batter nicking off to de Kock.Rabada continued the bouncer barrage when he had Yasir Ali hopping to one in his sixth over, resulting in another easy catch for Maharaj. Left-arm quick Parnell got into the act when he snuck one through Mushfiqur Rahim’s bat and pad. Parnell’s first international wicket since 2017 left Bangladesh at 34 for 5 in the 13th over.Parnell, however, left the field in his next over, grabbing his left hamstring. Suddenly, South Africa were a bowler short, which meant Bavuma, who has never bowled before in an ODI, had to roll his arm over.Afif and Mahmudullah, however, couldn’t quite take advantage of the depleted attack. The stand of 60 runs ended when Mahmudullah gave Malan a catch at leg-slip in the 28th over.Mehidy and Afif were more fluent during their partnership. Afif struck his second ODI fifty, while Mehidy made 38 off 49 balls, including two slog-swept sixes off Maharaj. The duo added 86 runs for the seventh wicketAfif struck the ball really well through the covers, getting five of his nine fours through that region. He batted with discipline for most of the innings, particularly checking his shots on the leg side.Both Afif and Mehidy were dropped in the 41st over. Malan dropped Mehidy on 21 at long-on, while Bavuma dropped Afif off his own bowling. Afif was on 59 at that point.Rabada then got both Afif and Mehidy in his last over, both playing needless shots when they could have seen off Rabada and instead attacked the other bowlers.Rassie van der Dussen bowled the penultimate over and took Shoriful Islam’s wicket with his second ball in ODI cricket.

He will play three Championship games for Gloucestershire, replacing the injured Naseem Shah

Matt Roller22-Apr-2022Mohammad Amir will make a surprise return to first-class cricket after signing a short-term deal to play for Gloucestershire in the County Championship.Amir has not played a first-class match since August 2019, when he played a Championship game for Essex a month after his retirement from Test cricket.He will play three Championship games for Gloucestershire, replacing Naseem Shah who has been ruled out until the start of the T20 Blast due to a shoulder injury. He arrived in the UK on Thursday and has linked up with the squad in Manchester.”The County Championship is an amazing competition and I can’t wait to get going with Gloucestershire,” Amir said. “I love playing in English conditions and I’m feeling really good, so I hope I can perform well for the team.”Steve Snell, Gloucestershire’s performance director, said: “We are delighted to have signed a bowler of Amir’s calibre. We will sadly be without Naseem for a few weeks due to injury and while we help him get back to full fitness, Amir will provide us with quality and international experience in our seam attack for what is a strong first-division competition.”Amir fits the bill perfectly for what we need and we’re confident he will be a great addition to the squad for those three matches. He has indicated his hunger and desire to make pivotal contributions during his time with us and we look forward to making him feel welcome in Bristol with Gloucestershire.”

Injuries and England call-ups prompt Durham’s foray into loan market

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2022Durham have signed Ollie Robinson, the Kent wicketkeeper-batter, on loan for the T20 Blast to help manage an availability crisis.Robinson, 23, played four T20 games for Kent in their title-winning 2021 season and made 103 runs with a strike rate of 139.18 across his four innings but was deemed surplus to requirement for the start of their Blast season, following Sam Billings’ return from the IPL.He is available for Durham in their first T20 fixture on Thursday, against Leicestershire at Grace Road but will return to Kent for their two Championship games during the Blast’s group stages and can be recalled at any time.Related

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Durham were without Sean Dickson (hamstring) and David Bedingham (back) during their Championship defeat against Middlesex at Lord’s last week and have lost three players to England’s squad for the first two Tests against New Zealand in Alex Lees, Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts.”Following a few injuries and England selection affecting our squad, we are excited to have Ollie for our Vitality Blast campaign,” Marcus North, Durham’s director of cricket, said. “He is an exciting young talent who will offer us multiple skill options.””Ollie is a really talented young player and both he and Kent will benefit from ‘Robbo’ experiencing increased playing time during the Vitality Blast,” Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, added. “We wish him well at Durham and look forward to welcoming him back into the squad for our next Championship fixture.”Durham finished seventh out of nine in the North Group of the Blast in 2021. They have recruited Ashton Turner, who has been warming up by playing for their second XI, as captain for 2022.Elsewhere, Northamptonshire will use Matthew Kelly – the Australian seam-bowling allrounder who initially signed for the early stages of the County Championship season – as cover for Jimmy Neesham in their opening Blast fixtures due to Neesham’s IPL commitments, while Leicestershire have confirmed that Hamish Rutherford will replace Rahmanullah Gurbaz, as revealed by ESPNcricinfo.

“Story of our Test cricket is we have one good session followed by one really bad one”

Mohammad Isam26-Jun-2022The disappointment wasn’t amiss in coach Russell Domingo’s voice after the end of the second day’s play. West Indies led by 106 runs after going up to 340 at stumps, but it was a far cry from being reduced to 132 for 4 shortly before lunch as the visitors were buoyant after inflicting a sudden batting collapse.The home side lost four wickets for 32 runs, three of those for one run in the space of 12 deliveries. But Kyle Mayers and Jermaine Blackwood responded with a dominating 116-run fifth wicket stand that took the sting out of Bangladesh for the remaining two sessions. Mayers reached his second Test century while adding another 92 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket with Joshua Da Silva.Domingo said that Bangladesh have been giving up similar great positions in the recent past, mostly due to their habit of trying to get wickets rather than doing what was working for them during a good time.”It is the story of our Test match cricket at the moment,” Domingo said. “We are good for one session and then we have one really bad session. Guys were not patient. They couldn’t string together enough tight overs like we did in the first session. They were searching for wickets, bowled a few soft balls, came around the wicket when it should be over the wicket. They just made basic errors by not being patient enough. It was very disappointing the way we bowled after lunch.Related

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“The message is always to bowl dots, building pressure, stay in control of the run-rate. As soon as you go looking for wickets, you just bowl too many soft balls. Being patient, being disciplined are the sort of messages that we try to emphasize. We do it for one session but we can’t do it for another session.”But the discussion went back to Bangladesh’s underwhelming first innings score of 234. They have failed to reach 300 runs in nine out of ten completed innings this year.”There are some serious questions with bat and ball at the moment,” he said. “It was not a 230 all out wicket. If it weren’t for a 30-run partnership in the end, we would be 190 all out. We are just not good enough at putting performances together with the bat. West Indies are showing us why they are better than us. They have managed to build partnerships and withstand the pressure. They just bat long – that’s the bottom line.”Domingo said that the Bangladesh batters should learn from the West Indies batters, particularly Mayers who has now scored two centuries in as many series, particularly when his team was in big trouble. “There’s a lot of players searching for form, searching for runs. The only way to get through it is to bat for long periods of time. Lot of 30s and 40s, the odd 50. Nobody is doing what Kyle Mayers is doing.”His big 126 is the difference between getting 230 and 400. They chased down 400 against us in Chattogram. He got a 200. But we are not getting those big scores. It is a big lesson for the boys. Test match is hard. When you are not batting as well, teams will punish you,” he said.

Hope’s century gave West Indies 305 to defend, and with their death bowling, they nearly pulled it off

Danyal Rasool08-Jun-2022Pakistan 306 for 5 (Babar 103, Imam 65, Joseph 2-55) beat West Indies 305 for 8 (Hope 127, Brooks 70, Rauf 4-77) by five wicketsIt was all going to plan, until it suddenly wasn’t. The usual hundred from Babar Azam – his fourth in five innings – set Pakistan up for what looked like a fairly straightforward chase of 306, before a middle-order stutter let West Indies back in. In the end, it was left to a gem of a cameo from Khushdil Shah, who smashed four sixes en route an unbeaten 23-ball 41, to see Pakistan home by five wickets and four balls to spare. It meant Shai Hope, whose 12th ODI hundred was classy enough to merit winning the game in its own right, ended up in vain, as the visitors fell just short in an attritional ODI.The target didn’t hold much fear for Pakistan, at least while some combination of the ever-reliable top three were still out in the middle. When Jayden Seales forced Fakhar Zaman to flat-bat one to short point, it brought Imam and Babar together – two men who combined famously to chase down 349 against Australia. The West Indies fast bowlers, though, kept things tight on a Multan surface that looked like it wasn’t allowing the ball to come on so easily in the evening, and for a while, it was all Pakistan could do to ensure they didn’t lose a cluster of wickets while waiting for batting to get easier.While Babar took his time en route his first 50 runs, Imam was brisker. After fortuitously surviving a marginal lbw call early on, he took on charge of keeping the asking rate in check, finding regular boundaries and routinely turning the strike over. It took 56 balls for him to get to his half-century, by which time the asking rate was creeping to seven.Eventually though, the wicket-taking threat that West Indies posed began to fade, and right on cue, Babar whirred into action. By the time Akeal Hosein struck to remove Imam, he was in full flow, inexorably motoring along to his 17th ODI hundred. Mohammad Rizwan, whose lack of form in this format has come under scrutiny – if only for the sharp contrast it presents compared to his T20 record – kept him company. Pakistan were building towards something of a cruise of a finish, with 72 required in nine overs with eight wickets still in hand.But Alzarri Joseph, perhaps the pick of the West Indies bowlers, drew Babar into mistiming a bouncer, and with 69 to win and a fragile middle order to come, West Indies sniffed an opportunity. The runs dried up and Romario Shepherd got rid of Rizwan soon after, and suddenly an asking rate that looked comfortable was pushing 12 in the final four overs.It was time for the Khushdil show. Shepherd was put away for three successive sixes – the bottom hand power in each of them particularly impressive – as Pakistan inched closer once more. West Indies struck with the wicket of Shadab Khan and took it to the final over, but by then, the damage Khushdil had inflicted was too much to recover from. Mohammad Nawaz sealed the win with a six over long-on, and Pakistan had survived a scare.Khushdil Shah (left) played a big part in setting up a last-over win for Pakistan•AFP/Getty Images

A classy 127 from Hope, which took him past 4,000 runs in ODIs, had powered West Indies to 305. The backbone of the innings was a 154-run partnership between Hope and Shamarh Brooks, two men who effortlessly made the transition from cool Amstelveen to sizzling Multan. It set for the visitors a glorious platform, but Pakistan struck back after Brooks fell for 70 in the 31st over thanks to a superb diving catch from Shadab. Pakistan secured regular wickets from thereon, while also keeping the run-rate in check, but a strong finish from Rovman Powell and Shepherd catapulted West Indies past 300.Winning the toss, Nicholas Pooran opted to put runs on the board on a surface that appeared conducive to batting. Despite a stuttering start that saw them lose Kyle Mayers early – Shaheen Afridi invariably striking in his first spell – Hope and Brooks grew increasingly comfortable out in the middle after the Powerplay. Once the field spread out, the dot balls – of which there were 40 of in the first 10 overs – vanished.The Hope-Brooks partnership was as artistic as it was effective. There was some sumptuous strokeplay against both spin and pace bowling, Brooks regularly presenting the full face of the blade in the process of caressing some lovely straight drives, while Hope’s dismantling of Hasan Ali and Nawaz meant regular runs were an ever-present feature of the middle overs.But when, once too often, Brooks looked to power Nawaz against the turn through midwicket, his fortune ran out. A top edge flew up in the general vicinity of short third man, and if the man in question hadn’t been Shadab, the stand might have continued on its jolly way. As it was the allrounder put in a dive, left arm outstretched, plucking the ball out of the air and breathing new life into a bowling effort that was beginning to wilt.Pooran could offer little more than a cameo – though consecutive cow corner sixes off Nawaz did keep the runs ticking over. Brandon King’s struggles to get going perhaps recalibrated West Indies expectations of a truly huge score, though by now, Hope had got his hundred with a crunching cover drive and appeared to be truly cutting loose.But once he fell in the 44th over, Pakistan’s death bowlers struck back. Sure, there were a few fours and sixes sprinkled in, but too often for the visitors’ liking, Pakistan managed to sneak in tight overs, undoing some of the damage those boundaries inflicted. Even Hasan Ali, who endured another rough day, pulled things back with a brilliant final over. Even so, at the very end, a couple of sixes from Shepherd and Hosein guaranteed the visitors a score in excess of a run-a-ball.It’s a chase that, of late, Pakistan have found particularly comfortable to deal with at home. But for Khushdil, this one might not have been. It was perhaps fitting, then, that at the post-match presentations, Babar refused the Player-of-the-Match award, handing it instead to the man who had ensured his 17th ODI hundred would come in a match-winning cause.