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No official BCB word yet on reduction of his ban, but he played a Dhaka Premier Division match on Saturday

Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2021Bangladesh fast bowler Shahadat Hossain, banned in November 2019 for five years for slapping a team-mate during a first-class match, played in a Dhaka Premier Division game on Saturday, despite there being no official statement from the BCB on the reduction of his ban.ESPNcricinfo has learnt Hossain, who bowled two wicketless overs for Partex Sporting Club on his return against Old DOHS Sports Club, will not need to serve any more than the 18 months he has already completed in his five-year ban.Related

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• Shahadat Hossain banned for five years for assaulting team-mate

Hossain had appealed to the BCB in February that his ban be reduced, so he can resume his career and take care of the expenses relating to his mother’s cancer treatment. BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan had said at the time that he had taken up Hossain’s case with the board higher-ups.”He is in a lot of problem in his family,” Khan told in March. “His mother is diagnosed with cancer. He is not playing cricket now so when he called me, I spoke to a few directors. We have requested the BCB’s disciplinary committee. We are hopeful to get a positive result from them. I have also informed the board president, who is also positive about him. , we hope that he can play in the NCL (National Cricket League).”In November 2019, Hossain had slapped team-mate Arafat Sunny Jr during an NCL match in Khulna, after the latter refused to shine the ball for the fast bowler. After being withdrawn from the match, he was charged with a Level-4 offence, which amounted to a fine of BDT 100,000 (US $1200 approx.) and a five-year ban with two years as suspended sentencing.In March, Hossain had said his primary motivation to return to competitive cricket before the completion of his five-year ban was his mother’s treatment.”I regret my actions. I was wrong, and I will try not to do it again. I won’t have any problem for the rest of my career. My mother is a cancer patient. I want to return to cricket, to help my mother’s treatment,” he had said during a press conference.Hossain didn’t appear in the NCL edition that ran earlier this year for two rounds before being postponed in April owing to a second wave of Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh.Hossain played the last of his 95 international matches in May 2015. He remains Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests among fast bowlers.

With WA only needing a draw to claim the Shield title, Whiteman made 123 and Hardie finished 119 not out to all but bat Victoria out of the game with a day to play

Alex Malcolm03-Apr-2022Western Australia have one hand on the Sheffield Shield trophy after centuries from Sam Whiteman and Aaron Hardie took the game away from Victoria on the fourth day at the WACA ground in Perth.With WA only needing a draw to secure the title after claiming the bonus point lead on day three, Whiteman produced a superb display of concentration and determination to blunt the visitors for more than three sessions and found able support from Hardie, who produced an outstanding century, to push WA’s lead to a nearly unassailable 393 with four wickets in hand and a day to play.Whiteman batted 500 minutes for his 123 from 338 balls, to go with his 85 in the first innings. He became the second WA player to face more than 500 balls in a Shield final after Mike Veletta did it in 1987.Hardie showed his blossoming all-round talents, adding his second Shield century to his three crucial wickets in Victoria’s first innings.The pair produced a brilliant 184, the highest sixth-wicket partnership for WA in a Shield final after coming together at a critical point in the first session. WA had crawled along to 5 for 110, with a lead of just 190, after the fall of Teague Wyllie and Josh Philippe in quick succession.But Whiteman’s disciplined leaving and Hardie’s obdurate defence wore down Victoria’s attack across more than 62 overs on a warm afternoon.Whiteman hardly made a mistake, having already batted the final session of the third day. Scott Boland, Will Sutherland and Mitchell Perry threw everything at him but his judgement of length was superb. He also played the spin of Jon Holland and Matthew Short with similar discipline and assured footwork. He sweated on anything short and wide unfurling cuts and late cuts behind point in between long periods of leaving and defending.He brought his century off 268 balls with a late cut off Holland. It was ninth in first-class cricket and his eighth Shield century. It was also his sixth ton in the last four seasons since becoming a full-time top order batter, having started his career in WA as a specialist wicketkeeper-batter before a bad finger injury forced him to abandon the gloves.Sam Whiteman walks off at tea with an unbeaten century•Getty Images

Hardie overcame a nervous start and survived a close lbw shout off Sutherland just after lunch. The umpire deemed it just going over the top after the ball hit the back thigh in line with off. He also edged Holland from over the wicket, but the ball brushed the gloves of keeper Sam Harper and fell short of Peter Handscomb at slip.But the longer he went, the tighter his defence became and the better his driving was off both feet. He hit the spinners powerfully wide of mid off from both the front and back foot and produced a couple of sparkling straight drives, including one to bring his century in fine style.Victoria bowled well throughout the day and deserved better than their returns. They ground WA to a halt in the morning session thanks to Boland and Sutherland. WA scored just three runs in the first nine overs of the day and only 43 in the first 30 overs before lunch. The slow scoring and the dual breakthroughs gave Victoria hope that they could bowl WA out and chase down a target of under 300.Wyllie, who scored just 23 off 86 balls, edged Perry to slip prodding a forward defence at a ball he could have left. Handscomb held yet another catch to add to his record season tally. Shortly after, Philippe played a loose shot to Holland, chipping him to cover for 1.But they failed to make another breakthrough until the final hour when Whiteman finally made an error in judgement and lost his off stump shouldering arms to Sutherland.Hardie and Joel Paris saw WA to stumps without further loss and only a miraculous final day chase from Victoria would deny them a first Shield title in 23 years.

Fast bowler was limited to just two overs on final afternoon of second-Test victory

George Dobell08-Jan-2020James Anderson has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour of South Africa due to a left rib injury.Anderson, the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Test history, sustained the injury on the final day of the Cape Town Test. With
England pressing for victory, he continued to bowl despite the pain and despite the knowledge that, by doing so, he risked exacerbating
the problem.He underwent a scan in Cape Town on Wednesday which confirmed the issue was bone-related rather than a soft-tissue injury. Such setbacks typically take between six to eight weeks to heal.Anderson will return to England in the next few days for rest and rehab, with Craig Overton, the Somerset seamer, staying on with the squad as cover. The new injury is a cruel setback for Anderson. The Cape Town Test was just his second since returning from a calf injury that limited him to
only four overs in the entire Ashes campaign. The prospect of several more weeks of rehab may well prove disheartening, although he signalled his desire to battle back in an upbeat tweet shortly after the news was confirmed.”Frustrating to be missing the rest of this series with a broken rib but hopefully will be healed in a few weeks!” Anderson wrote. “Will be supporting the boys from home.”Anderson bowled immaculately in Cape Town, even though he was limited to eight overs on the final day after reporting tightness and discomfort at the end of the morning session. He became the oldest England seamer to claim a five-wicket haul in Test cricket since
Freddie Brown in 1951 in the first innings while his overall match figures were seven for 63 from 37 overs.ALSO READ: Dobell: Seven things we learnt from Cape Town victorySuch figures may convince him that, once recovered, he can still play a role at Test level. He had previously suggested he may like to sit
out England’s tour of Sri Lanka in March – he argued the pitches will render him largely redundant in any case – with a view to returning to
the side for the home season. England’s first Test of the home summer, against West Indies, starts on June 4.The news sustains England’s tricky start to the tour. After contending with a virulent sickness bug that affected 11 players ahead or during
the first Test, England lost their first-choice opening batsman, Rory Burns, to an ankle ligament injury while he was playing football in
warm-up the day before the second Test. At the time Ben Stokes suggested, tongue only partly in cheek, that the tour was “cursed.”Anderson requires 16 more wickets to become the fourth man to claim 600 Test victims.

Rahane’s lean patch over the last two years could happen to anyone, says Indian captain as he backs his deputy

Vishal Dikshit in Mumbai30-Jul-2019Despite an up-and-down 2018 in Test cricket and a difficult county stint this year, India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has received the backing of captain Virat Kohli, who reaffirmed that he thought of his colleague as a “solid player”. Speaking before the tours of the USA and the West Indies, where India will play their maiden World Test Championship series, Kohli expected Rahane to “come around” as he has “done the job under pressure”.Once a mainstay in India’s batting line-up, especially on away tours, Rahane was left out of the first two Tests on the South Africa tour last year before returning to the XI for the entire England and Australia series, as well as the West Indies series at home. But, in this period, Rahane didn’t look like the confident batsman of the past, especially in 2014. Since his last Test century – 28 innings ago and spanning nearly two years – Rahane has made only five 50-plus scores. He averages 24.85 during this period.Kohli, however, believes there is no need to “jump the gun” on a player like Rahane because of the composure and the reliability he brings.”Jinks [Rahane] has been a solid player for us through and through and that’s always been our communication,” Kohli said. “He is one of the most sorted guys. Really, really composed, reads the game well also, priceless fielder, we have all seen the impact he can make in Test cricket with his slip catching and everything. I think under pressure he has performed really well. The guy averages 43 (40.55) in Test cricket, it’s not like he is in the early 30s. I don’t think we should jump the gun on someone like Jinks because he has done the job for you under pressure.”Rahane had been the vice-captain for the 2018 South Africa tour too, but his Mumbai team-mate Rohit Sharma was preferred in the XI for the first two Tests because of “the way he (Rohit) was batting against Sri Lanka and in the ODI format,” Kohli explained. On returning to the XI, Rahane scored a fighting 48 at No. 6 in the third innings of the Test, helping India secure their only win by 63 runs.He then went on to score two half-centuries each in England and Australia but his average in those series were 25.70 and 31 respectively, much below the standards he had set for himself at the beginning of his career. Since his 132 against Sri Lanka in August 2017, he has averaged below nine other Indian batsmen who have played at least ten innings in that period.Rahane has turned to first-class cricket several times in this phase: against England Lions before the England Tests last year, versus New Zealand A prior to the Australia Tests, and a county stint this summer with Hampshire. In the county circuit, he began with a century against Nottinghamshire, his first in 39 first-class innings, but couldn’t keep up the tempo. He was unable to score a half-century in the remaining 11 innings and even bagged a pair against Essex, playing all of three balls in the match.What lies ahead of him is a two-Test series in the West Indies, where the hosts’ fast bowlers have troubled many a team recently. Not to forget, Rohit, fresh from hitting five centuries at the World Cup, is breathing down his neck for a spot in the XI.”It’s a patch that anyone can go through but I think he will come around because he is that good a player and when he does, we know he can be very consistent,” Kohli said. “He is one of the pillars of our batting order that we can bank on. Him and [Cheteshwar] Pujara, as I’ve said, have been our most solid Test players. I am sure along with Puji playing so well, myself at No. 4, Jinks will also come into the groove and once he starts scoring, he can spring in scores on a consistent basis.”We are not at all worried about where he’s placed. It’s about giving him confidence and he really wants to turn it around. That’s the most important thing and that’s all that matters.”

Irfan, Arif fifties guide Royals to 225 before Zeeshan, Kharote skittle Sharks for 139

Rvel Zahid22-Oct-2022
Bahawalpur Royals carved their name on the inaugural Pakistan Junior League (PJL) trophy by beating Gwadar Sharks by 86 runs in the final, in Lahore on Friday. Shawaiz Irfan smashed 79 off just 32 deliveries and Tayyab Arif hit a quick fifty to set the platform for an imposing total of 225. In the chase, Sharks were bowled out for 139, thanks to Mohammad Zeeshan and Nangeyalia Kharote’ three wicket-hauls.Sharks won the toss and elected to bowl, but the decision backfired. The damage inflicted by Irfan, Arif, Basit Ali and Kharote was massive for Sharks. While Arif made a 34-ball 56, Kharote remained unbeaten on 47 off 30 balls to help the Imran Tahir-mentored side post the highest total of the season.The Lahore-born Shawaiz, who was promoted up the batting order, was crowned Player of the Match after he thumped the fastest half-century of the tournament. His innings had seven fours and six sixes. His glovework has also been impressive throughout the PJL, drawing praise from Rashid Latif as well.Sharks never got a sniff while bowling as Arif and Afghanistani southpaw Kharote teed off and added 87 runs for the third wicket. Arif scored his first fifty of the PJL and his innings was laced with seven fours and one six, while Kharote hammered two sixes and three fours in his unbeaten knock.Sharks finished the group stage at the top of the table and beat Royals in the Qualifier 1 but on Friday, they were outclassed in all departments. Royals brought their A game in the all-important final and went in with an attacking mindset right from the start.In reply, Sharks did manage a flying start in the powerplay and got to 103 for 4 in the first ten overs, but the innings nosedived after the dismissal of their captain Shamyl Hussain, who notched up 67 off 34 balls. In the end, the team was skittled for 139 in under 16 overs.Their innings was a story of two halves as Sharks were meeting the asking rate in the first ten overs with Hussain leading the charge. But the moment Zeeshan was introduced into the attack, he removed Hussain and the floodgates were opened. Thereon, the wickets fell at regular intervals as the spinners applied the choke and the equation became tougher with each passing over.Sharks’ overseas signing Luc Martin Benkenstein has been in good nick in this competition and even guided his side to the doorstep of victory with a well-crafted 71 in Qualifier 1, but he couldn’t get going in the final and holed out to long-on off Sajjad Ali’s bowling. Another lynchpin of Sharks’ batting line-up Mohammad Zulfikal was snared by Kharote early on. Eventually, Sharks lost their last seven wickets for 43 runs.Sharks will rue the missed opportunities, overthrows and losing their composure when Arif and Shawaiz went berserk with the bat.Basit Ali, who hails from a remote city of Pakistan – Dera Murad Jamali – finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 379 runs at a strike rate of 150.39. He struck one century and two half-centuries in the PJL and a crucial 35 in the final. Zeeshan ended the tournament as highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an economy of 7.25 from eight matches.

Irish players will no longer count as locals in county cricket next summer, forcing Stirling to decide between his Middlesex contract and his international career

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2019Paul Stirling will leave Middlesex at the end of the season after committing his future to Ireland.With Irish players no longer qualifying as non-overseas players in county cricket from next year, it had been suggested that players like Stirling would renew their county contracts and give up international cricket.But Stirling – who captained Ireland in T20 cricket earlier in the year – has signed a new international contract, ending ten years of association with Middlesex.Stirling said: “It’s been a real privilege to represent Middlesex over the last decade, and it has been an unforgettable journey for many reasons. Winning the Championship in 2016 was undoubtedly the highlight on the field, while also receiving my county cap will be something I will cherish for a very long time.”However, it was the relationships built with the players, staff and supporters that was the most rewarding, and that I will miss the most.”I am looking forward to the next chapter with Ireland, with a busy year in 2020 and the T20 World Cup Qualifier coming up it is an exciting time to be a part of.”Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said that everyone at the club “fully respects Paul’s decision” and that the coaching staff fully understood the reasoning behind it.”From a selfish and Middlesex point of view it is obviously sad to see Paul leave,” said Fraser. “His aggressive and destructive batting has thrilled Middlesex players and supporters for a number of years.”The Middlesex coaches and myself totally understand Paul’s decision. It has not been an easy one and I know he has thought about it long and hard. Playing for your country is something that should never be taken for granted. It is an honour and a privilege, and to finish a career with regrets is something nobody wants to do.”He will always be welcome at Lord’s and if he ever feels like coming back to play for us in any capacity he has my phone number.”Stirling’s team-mate Tim Murtagh is yet to make a decision whether to continue playing international cricket or whether to renew his Middlesex deal.”It’s getting to the stage where we have to choose one or the other and I haven’t really made my mind up yet,” Murtagh told the podcast in August.”There are still discussions to be had with both sides but unfortunately that loophole has been shut and we can’t continue playing in county cricket as local players. I’m going to have to make quite a tough decision at the end of the summer and decide which way I want to keep going.”

He has torn three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sidharth Monga14-Jan-2023Rishabh Pant is unlikely to play any cricket for most of 2023 and is set to miss a slew of marquee tournaments including the IPL. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the medical update given to the BCCI on Pant, who survived a car crash on December 30, says the wicket-keeper batter has torn all three key ligaments in his knee, two of which were reconstructed recently while surgery on the third is expected after six weeks.As a consequence, Pant is in danger of being sidelined for at least six months, which could also potentially affect his chances of being fit for selection for the ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India in October-November.Last week, Pant underwent knee surgery after his right ligaments were damaged in the accident that occurred when he was driving from Delhi to meet his family in Roorkee. As one of India’s top contracted players, Pant was airlifted from Dehradun at the BCCI’s behest and flown to Mumbai last week to be put under the supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, one of the specialist surgeons contracted by the board.The BCCI issued three medical bulletins since the accident and the surgery, including one that stated Pant had also injured his right ankle. ESPNcricinfo has learned that all three ligaments in the knee – anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, which are necessary for movement and stability – have been torn in Pant’s case. It is understood that in the surgery conducted recently, both the PCL and MCL were reconstructed. Pant will need to undergo another surgery to reconstruct his ACL, but the doctors will wait for at least six weeks before going ahead with it.Related

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There is no definitive timeline given by the doctors yet on how long it would take Pant to resume training, but both the BCCI and the selectors have concluded that the wicketkeeper-batter would be out for a minimum of six months.Pant, who last featured in the away series in Bangladesh in December, was rested for the home series against Sri Lanka. On Monday he was absent from the squads announced for the New Zealalnd series followed by the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Pant, who is Delhi Capitals’ captain, will also miss the IPL, which begins on April 1. Another key match Pant will be absent from is the World Test Championship final in June in case India make it to the summit clash.The selectors have named KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper options in Pant’s absence for the first half of the Australia Test series. Bharat and Kishan will also contest the keeper’s role in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting next week.

Having played a holding role on grassy surfaces in NZ, Santner has made adjustments to be successful in India

Shashank Kishore09-Oct-20231:51

What made Santner effective against Netherlands?

You thought it was a dream night out with the ball for Mitchell Santner. He picked up only his second ODI five-for to floor Netherlands, his spell of 5 for 59 along with his cameo 17-ball 36 at No. 8 earned him the Player of the Match.But in all honestly, Santner revealed he’d bowled much better against England in Ahmedabad for lesser reward. It told you why numbers can’t sometimes be a reflection of a performance. It wasn’t in Santner’s case.Related

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“Yeah, it was obviously nice to get the rewards,” he said after New Zealand made it two wins in two. “I don’t think I bowled as well as I did in Ahmedabad. Probably missed a little bit more, but it was nice to keep trying to be aggressive and get wickets. I guess that’s the only way we can kind of slow the batters down in the middle of the ODI innings, by taking wickets.”And I thought, as a bowling unit, we did that very well. Guys coming back, still being aggressive, trying to take wickets, and managed to chip them out along we went. And it was nice to get the win in the end.”Santner prides himself on reading situations and surfaces, and puts into practice his early assessment, even if it may be from watching the opponent bowl. On Monday, Santner took a cue from watching Aryan Dutt and Roelof van der Merwe, the Netherlands spin pair, operate in the middle overs.”Yeah, I think it was, slightly on the slower side,” he assessed. “I thought they bowled, especially their spinners, bowled extremely well. Yeah, it looked like we were kind of setting up a bigger score and they managed to pull it back and get a couple of wickets. So, I guess when I went in, it was still that kind of ‘take it as deep as we can’ and then try have a couple of big overs at the end, which luckily enough we did, to get up to 322.”Santner had a studious demeanor to him as he answered questions but allowed himself a slight chuckle when reminded of New Zealand’s next venue, Chennai, where he’s spent a few seasons at the IPL. He’s had to mostly warm the bench because the dynamics of the Chennai Super Kings haven’t always allowed him and Ravindra Jadeja to feature in the same XI. He was nonetheless excited going to his IPL home ground where New Zealand play Bangladesh on October 13.Mitchell Santner picked up his second ODI five-for•ICC/Getty Images

“We knew that going into the tournament that Chennai has that nature of being a bit spinny and it did, especially first innings the other night [India v Australia],” he said. “And they’re [Bangladesh] obviously good players of spin so it’s going to be a challenge just like every other game is going to be in this World Cup.”I think we’re going to see teams beat teams and have upsets. We’ve got to be prepared for both those next coming games. Obviously first is Bangladesh and if it is something similar to the other night, it could be spinning a little bit in the daytime and then start to skid on a little bit and get a little bit dewy second innings so we’ve got to be prepared for both.”On the topic of spinning wickets, Santner also underlined the bowling adjustments he’s had to make. From playing a holding role on grassy surfaces that leaves little bowling time back home, he is now an aggressor looking for wickets in the subcontinent.”It’s obviously nice to come over here and see some spinning wickets because they’re few and far between back in New Zealand,” he said. “I guess the role in New Zealand is slightly different to here. You want to be a little bit more aggressive. You keep your slips in for longer. I try to operate with that mid-on up most of the time, only having three back, trying to make them play big shots.”And if it is spinning, yeah, the role is kind of more aggressive. And then I think we’ll see at times throughout this tournament if it’s pretty flat, it might be that defensive role for a little bit, try to get wickets through pressure. And then if it is, like tonight, if there is a little bit of spin, it might be, all right, let’s be more aggressive. let’s throw it up, leave the slip in. And so that was nice. I think Rachin [Ravindra] bowled extremely well as well, that kind of same mentality of always trying to get wickets through the middle.”So two wins, and a couple of days off in a long tournament. They should be flying high, right?”Yes, obviously a nice start. We knew that turning up today after the highs of beating England, we couldn’t get too complacent. We know the Netherlands are a good team and they almost touched up Pakistan the other day, so it was obviously nice to get the W tonight. It’s another two points, but you got to move on pretty quickly in this tournament.”

“He is supremely confident about his own ability – the fact that he is fully fit now makes a massive difference,” Shastri says of Hardik

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-20235:13

Runorder: Ravi Shastri wants Hardik to be India’s full-time T20I captain

Ravi Shastri feels that with the next men’s T20 World Cup just over a year away, Hardik Pandya will be handed the captaincy of the India team immediately.”Everyone can qualify to play, but I think Hardik will lead,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s . “The next two World Cups [after the 2023 ODI World Cup] are T20 cricket. He’s already [standby] captain of India [in T20Is], so he will continue unless he is not fit. I think they [the selectors] will look into a new direction. There’s a lot of talent among the youth at the moment. You might have a pretty much new team; there will be some new faces if not a new team.”There will be still plenty who played in the last T20I match that India played, but there will be some new faces because what we’ve seen here in this year’s IPL is some refreshing young talent.”Related

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Rohit Sharma is India’s designated captain across formats, but he hasn’t played a T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup. KL Rahul was his deputy at the tournament; his last T20I, too, was at the World Cup. In the meantime, India have played eight T20Is, and Hardik has led in all of them with Rohit resting. Of those eight, India have won five, lost two, and tied one.At the last T20 World Cup, India’s intent with the bat had come under scrutiny, not for the first time. In the semi-final, they scored 168, which England chased down with ten wickets and four overs to spare.Since then, India have tried many fresh faces, with good results. And Shastri suggested “the 2007 route” for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Then, with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and some others opting out, India had named a relatively inexperienced side for the inaugural T20 World Cup, and India lifted the trophy under MS Dhoni’s captaincy.”I feel they will go the 2007 route, where they will identify talent, and Hardik will have lots of choices when it comes to the selection,” Shastri said. “Because his ideas will be different; he has played the IPL as a captain of a franchise and seen a lot of the other players. He will have his inputs.”Hardik Pandya has led India in every T20I they have played since the last T20 World Cup•Getty Images

When asked if it’s Hardik then who should have a conversation with the senior players about the future, Shastri said, “Obviously. Because he is the guy who is going to take the guys out on the park. Whatever he says has to be given importance and listened to.”Until IPL 2022, Hardik had no captaincy experience at the senior level. But he created a stir when he led Gujarat Titans, one of two new teams that season, to the title. This season, too, Titans are all but through to the playoffs with the last few league-stage matches to go.The only concern with Hardik could be regarding his workload management, given he is expected to play a big role for India at the upcoming ODI World Cup as well and his struggle with injuries is well known. Shastri said it should not be an issue, given he no longer plays long-form cricket.”It is not that he is playing three formats,” Shastri said. “Everything now is separate. You have Test matches, so the moment a Test series comes, he gets a corridor of a month to rest and recuperate. He is supremely confident about his own ability. The fact that he is fully fit now makes a massive difference. Form plays an important role. When he is fit, then he is arguably one of the best T20 players in the world.”In November last year as well, Shastri had said that “there is no harm in identifying a new T20I captain, and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it”.

The entire touring party has been asked to go into isolation for 48 hours before they are tested again

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022Several members of the Afghanistan touring party in Bangladesh, including some players, have tested positive for Covid-19. It is understood that the Afghanistan squad, currently training in Sylhet ahead of a white-ball series against Bangladesh, have been asked to go into isolation for 48 hours – which ends on Wednesday – before they appear for fresh tests.The BCB has extended its support to the visitors, even though technically, the tour hasn’t started, and the Afghanistan squad is in Sylhet, since February 12, on their own.”Definitely we will support them in this situation,” Jalal Yunus, the BCB cricket operations chief, said. The visiting side will come under the BCB’s care officially on February 19. The tour is scheduled to start on February 23, with the first ODI in Chattogram, followed by two more games at the same venue on February 25 and 28. This will be followed by two T20Is in Dhaka on March 3 and 5.