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India have named an unchanged 16-man squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming series against Australia, starting February 23 in Pune. There was no press conference or an explanation in the BCCI press release, but it can be assumed that batsman Rohit Sharma, fast bowler Mohammed Shami and legspinner Amit Mishra had not recovered from their injuries.The three national selectors met in Mumbai a day after India won the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Hyderabad, and the recovery of the injured players would have been the only reason to change a winning combination. Shami is considered to be India’s best pace bowler and an expert at reverse swing. He had injured his knee during the England Test series.Karun Nair, who scored a triple-century in the Chennai Test against England, is available as a middle-order back-up, the spot Rohit vacated when he injured his thigh during the ODI series against New Zealand. Rohit had to undergo surgery in England and only resumed training last week.Mishra was named as the fourth spinner in the squad for the Bangladesh Test, behind R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Jayant Yadav. However, he injured his knee while diving on the bumpy Bangalore outfield during the final T20I against England. Kuldeep Yadav, the Uttar Pradesh left-arm wristspinner who was brought in as a replacement, retained his place in the squad.Kuldeep, who was named in the India A squad to play the tour game against the Australians, is likely to be withdrawn from the fixture, which starts from February 17. Allrounder Hardik Pandya, another member of this Test squad, is captain of India A and is expected to play.Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinav Mukund, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, M Vijay, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav

Former BCCI presidents N Srinivasan and Anurag Thakur were part of a group of office bearers from 24 states associations that met in Bangalore on Saturday evening, for an informal meeting, to discuss their next step following the latest Supreme Court order. The judgement had effectively put an end to the administrative careers of a majority of the office bearers, given it disqualified those who had exceeded nine years in office – as per the Lodha Committee’s interpretation, at BCCI or state level or both combined – from staying on.The meeting reportedly had been called by Srinivasan and was attended by prominent office bearers from various state associations, including Ajay Shirke, Rajiv Shukla, Anirudh Chaudhry, Amitabh Choudhury and Niranjan Shah. Representatives from Delhi & District Cricket Association, Vidarbha Cricket Association, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Cricket Club of India, Railways, Services and National Cricket Club (Kolkata) were not present at the meeting.One of the senior office bearers present at the meeting, who is part of an east zone state association, said that the Bangalore gathering was a move to show solidarity. “It was basically to show we are united [still] after the court verdict. Everybody put forth ideas going forward,” he said, without divulging any details.He pointed out that a firmer stance will be revealed once the court appointed the panel of administrators to run the BCCI, which is likely to be done the next hearing on January 19. The official also stressed that there were no “negative” plans in the works that might disrupt the cricket, international or domestic.The Lodha Committee, meanwhile, remained unconcerned about the Bangalore meeting. It is understood that it will meet on January 11 to discuss the roadmap for both the BCCI and states in the wake of the January 2 court order. The Committee has received emails from 18 state associations asking what should be their next step.

ICC chairman Shashank Manohar has contradicted BCCI president Anurag Thakur’s claim in his affidavit to the Supreme Court that he did not ask the ICC for a letter stating that the Lodha Committee’s recommendation to have a member of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office on the apex council of the BCCI amounted to government interference in the board.In an email to the Lodha Committee on November 2, Manohar wrote that Thakur had asked him to issue a letter but he had refused to do so.The matter was last heard in the Supreme Court on December 15 and the court said there was, on first impression, enough evidence for a charge of perjury against Thakur.Manohar, in his email, said Thakur had made the request on August 6, at an ICC meeting also attended by ICC directors Giles Clarke, David Peever and Imran Khawaja, as well as ICC CEO David Richardson and COO Iain Higgins.”During the meeting Mr. Thakur pointed out to me that when I was the President of BCCI, a submission was advanced before the Supreme Court at my behest that the appointment of a nominee of the CAG on the Apex Council might amount to Governmental interference and would invoke an action of suspension from the ICC,” Manohar wrote. “He therefore requested me to issue a letter to that effect in my capacity as ICC Chairman.”I declined to issue such a letter and explained to him that the said submission was advanced before the Hon Supreme Court when the court was hearing the matter. However, on 18-7-2016 the Hon SC delivered its judgement in the matter and rejected the submission that the appointment of a nominee of the CAG would amount to governmental interference.”I therefore explained to Mr Thakur that the issue having been decided by the Hon Supreme Court of India, which is the highest court of the country and whose judgement binds everybody, I cannot give him any such letter. All this transpired in the presence of the Directors I have named earlier and the CEO and COO of ICC.”The issue first arose on September 12, when quoted Richardson as saying that Thakur had asked the game’s governing body for a letter that would support the BCCI’s stance against the Lodha Committee’s recommendations: the ICC does not permit government interference in the running of its Full Member boards.The Supreme Court got involved, asking Thakur why he would need to ask for such a letter when the court had already approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendation for a CAG official on the apex council. On October 17, Thakur filed an affidavit in which he denied asking the ICC for such a letter.Thakur said he only asked Manohar what his stance on the matter had been when he was the BCCI president. “I pointed out to the Chairman of the ICC, Mr Shashank Manohar that, when he was President of BCCI, he had taken a view that the recommendations of the Justice Lodha committee appointing the nominee of the CAG on the Apex Council would amount to governmental interference, and might invoke an action of suspension from ICC,” Thakur had said in his affidavit. “I therefore requested him that, being the ICC Chairman, can a letter be issued clarifying the position which he had taken as BCCI President.”According to Lodha Committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan, there was a discrepancy in the affidavit submitted by Thakur and the letter submitted by Manohar. “In [Anurag] Thakur’s version of events it is a clarification he had sought. In Manohar’s version of events, he said, ‘As ICC chairman I was asked to give a letter, not a clarification, saying that this amounts to interference.'”The Lodha Committee – comprising former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran – was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board has not cooperated because its state associations objected to the recommendations.

Rangana Herath, who led Sri Lanka to a 2-0 sweep of Zimbabwe in his first series as captain, has said that the team’s recent run in Test cricket bodes well for the South Africa tour, which starts with the Boxing Day Test in Port Elizabeth. Sri Lanka’s 257-run victory in Harare in the second Test was their fifth successive win – they swept Australia 3-0 at home prior to this series – to equal their second-longest winning streak in Tests.”If you take the Australian series, the 3-0 win gave us a lot of confidence for the Zimbabwe tour,” Herath said on Saturday. “Now that we have beaten Zimbabwe and won five Tests in a row, I am sure that confidence will help us for the South African tour. I am 100 percent certain about the confidence of our players that they will do well in South Africa.”Herath himself led the way in Zimbabwe, taking 19 wickets in two matches at an average of just over 15. During his 8 for 63 in the second Test in Harare, Herath became only the third bowler, after Muttiah Muralitharan and Dale Steyn, to complete a five-for against all nine other Test nations.”I would say it was a kind of a high achievement,” Herath said. “I didn’t know that I was the third player to achieve that feat, but I am really happy with that performance because I haven’t had a five-wicket haul against Zimbabwe, and it was the first time I played against them. I am really happy to join that club with Murali and Steyn.”Herath, who stood in as captain in the absence of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, said he relished the experience. “I enjoyed every single moment of it and I did really enjoy the captaincy. I had played under a lot of captains like Sanath (Jayasuriya), Mahela (Jayawardene), Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara), (Tillakaratne) Dilshan, Hashan (Tillakeratne) and Angelo (Mathews), and gained experience from them. That experience helped me a lot coupled with the little bit I had captaining Moors SC to the Premier league title.”Herath acknowledged the contributions of several players, including the returning Upul Tharanga, for making his job easier. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne hit form with 280 runs in four innings, including a century and two fifties. Tharanga held the middle order together and brought up his second Test hundred last week, nearly 11 years after his first. Fringe players like batsman Dhananjaya de Silva and seam-bowling allrounder Asela Gunaratne also impressed.Asela Gunaratne staked his claim for a regular spot in the team with a measured ton in the second Test in Harare•Associated Press

“It was easier to captain when every single player was performing and contributing a lot to the team,” Herath said. “I must thank the players and the supporting staff for our success in the series.”If you take individually, Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva, Dhanajaya (de Silva), Asela Gunaratne, Dimuth Karunaratne performed; every single player contributed in every single game. Players like Upul Tharanga, who came to Test cricket after a long time, and Asela, who played his first at the age of 30, I saw some difference in him he played a matured innings in both Tests.”On the bowling front, Herath lauded seamer Suranga Lakmal, who found swing with the new ball and reverse-swing with the old one on docile surfaces, and offspinner Dilruwan Perera who complemented him.”Of the bowlers, most credit should go to Suranga Lakmal because on those flat tracks, it’s not easy to bowl, but he bowled his heart out,” he said. “Even Lahiru Gamage, he gave the kind of confidence to the team and he looks a good prospect for Sri Lanka. Dilruwan (Perera) and myself, every single player contributed in some way, that’s why we won the two Tests.”Herath, 38, said he has not set any long-term plans, and instead looked to “take it series by series”. “I have gained a lot of confidence in the last two series I played, taking 28 wickets against Australia and 19 against Zimbabwe,” he said. “I am always planning to take it series by series and try to do my best each time. It’s a much easier target than planning for six to twelve months. As long as I am contributing 100 percent, it’s easier to continue playing for the team.”

Pakistan have named an unchanged squad for the three-match Test series against Australia next month. Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Rizwan, who were Pakistan’s only inclusions for the Test series against New Zealand, retained their place.With Misbah-ul-Haq unavailable, Rizwan was handed his debut in the ongoing second Test, but was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the first innings. Sharjeel did not play a game on the tour.Kamran Akmal, the leading run-scorer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and Mohammad Hafeez were considered but the selection panel led by Inzamam-ul-Haq opted to stick with a young squad.Pakistan played both Tests in New Zealand with three fast bowlers and one spinner in Yasir Shah. With pitches in Australia not conducive to spin bowling, Pakistan were satisfied with allrounder Mohammad Rizwan as the back-up spin option.The series against Australia begins with a day-night Test in Brisbane on December 15.Pakistan squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan

USA wicketkeeper-batsman Akeem Dodson has pinned the team’s batting struggles against Canada during the Auty Cup on a mental block that needs to be cleared before the team opens up ICC WCL Division Four in two weeks. Dodson, who top-scored with 73 in USA’s 17-run loss, believes his side but needs a little more time to get comfortable in their new roles to establish a winning mentality.”I think for us right now that area is a mental battle more than it is a physical one,” Dodson said of USA’s batting struggles in the two losses to Canada at Woodley Park on Thursday and Friday. “I think the players themselves need to get set in their roles. Once they’re set in their roles and in their position, they’ll start to play much more fluidly, like the players we’re accustomed to seeing most of the time.”I think we can probably compare it to those first couple of games in Ireland [at the 2015 World T20 Qualifier] where we hadn’t gotten into stride yet and we were losing and no one knew which way to go. But all we needed was that one game to get it right and have things clicking and then everyone was all set, three in a row after that. The same thing needs to happen here.”Dodson and opener Fahad Babar added 127 runs for the fourth-wicket, a USA record, but the batting looked bleak after that with all but Dodson, Babar and Elmore Hutchinson – who made 37 not out – failing to reach double figures.Dodson said the team is trying to remain upbeat taking into consideration the standard of competition Canada provides, sitting above USA in Division Three. “Canada is still a level ahead of us so to be competing with them right now where we’re at to be getting better day by day is definitely a plus for us,” Dodson said. “We need to make we keep improving and keep getting better by the time we come up against the other Division Four teams.””So far I think our biggest lesson we’re learning is how long the 50-over game actually is. For guys who are used to playing 40 overs, when you’re playing 50-overs now especially against top opposition, you start to realize this 50-over game takes a bit of time and a bit of temperament batting and bowling to settle yourself and take your time, assess the game, move forward and close it out.”USA has also been affected by the absence of allrounder Timroy Allen and fast bowler Ali Khan during the Auty Cup. Allen had to withdraw due to personal reasons, while Khan suffered a hamstring injury at USA’s national camp in Indianapolis last month. Both are expected to be back in time for Division Four. Dodson said their absence was felt.”They’re definitely senior members in the team and we need them in Division Four to be at our utmost best. Yesterday we had the opportunity to close out the game against Canada and we let the ninth-wicket partnership score 50 runs. I think with Timroy and Ali Khan in that position there, they would be perfect guys to come on and close it out, get those two wickets and wrap the game up.”Timroy Allen and Ali Khan are also excellent fielders and I think in this team here where a lot of the guys are just coming into the team and fresh to this level of intensity and this level of cricket that they get lost sometimes in the field. It’s a learning curve and they’ll improve as we play and get better.”While some of USA’s squad will be heading home after Sunday’s final match in the three-match series work commitments before returning to Los Angeles on October 23 for a week of training ahead of Division Four, Dodson is one of six out-of-town players who will remain in Los Angeles to train with coach Pubudu Dassanayake ahead of their next assignment. He hopes the time spent together will make an impact by the time USA’s first match begins against Bermuda on October 29.”We’re just getting started,” Dodson said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement and a lot of room for us to grow. We’re definitely here to put in the work. Everyone here is committed and ready to see ourselves grow and put the work in that’s going to help us not just win Division Four and move forward to Division Three but to Division Two and Division One and do all the things that we want to do.”

Former Test allrounder Andrew McDonald has been confirmed as Victoria’s new head coach, after he announced during the week he was leaving his position in charge of Leicestershire.The vacancy with Victoria opened up after David Saker was named Australia’s new assistant coach in July, and McDonald soon became the leading candidate. He was appointed head coach of the Melbourne Renegades – a position that Saker had also held – earlier this month and Cricket Victoria has now confirmed that McDonald will also take the state reins.The move continues a rapid coaching rise for McDonald, 35, who less than two years ago was still playing in the Sheffield Shield. Although he ended his career with South Australia and also played four Tests during 2009, most of McDonald’s career in Australia was played with Victoria – he appeared in 71 first-class games for them for 3516 runs at 40.88 and 163 wickets at 28.18.Over the past two years, McDonald has been a popular coach of Leicestershire, lifting the performances of the struggling county, and now he will take over a side sitting in a position of strength in Australian cricket. Victoria have won the past two Sheffield Shield titles, first under long-time coach Greg Shipperd in 2014-15, and then under his replacement Saker in 2015-16.”I’m really pleased to be coming home to Victoria to take on the coaching role with the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers,” McDonald said. “The state team is in a really good place on the back of consecutive Shield victories and I’m looking forward to building on that culture of success and delivering results across all formats.”I’m a proud Victorian and have been lucky enough to share some big wins playing cricket for this state. I’m excited about the challenges that are ahead of us and I look forward to working with the coaching staff and the players led by Matthew Wade on the busy schedule ahead.”Tony Dodemaide, the Cricket Victoria CEO, said: “We’re delighted that Andrew has agreed to return to Victoria after his time in charge with Leicestershire. He brings a great enthusiasm and knowledge to the role and knows Victorian cricket well which stands us in good stead ahead of the upcoming Sheffield Shield season and Matador BBQs One Day Cup.”The Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers have enjoyed terrific success in the last two years with our consecutive Shield victories. Andrew – a former Shield winner himself – understands elite performance environments and is looking to build on that success this season.”

This wasn’t a Test that you would call great in the traditional sense. It was a no-contest: Pakistan won by an innings and 87 runs, their biggest win over India at the time, and one they went on to better two Tests later at Hyderabad. But the match was significant for the performance of one man – Imran Khan took 11 wickets in the match, eight of them in the second innings, five in the space of 25 balls, and the legend of reverse-swing was born. Sarfraz Nawaz is credited as being the early exponent of reverse-swing but on that third afternoon of the Karachi Test, Imran gave the most fearsome exhibition of the art which was yet to acquire a name.India, trailing by 283 runs, would have nurtured faint hopes of saving the game as Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar took them to 102 for 1 shortly after tea. The new ball had been negotiated comfortably and the only wicket to fall, that of Arun Lal, had been claimed by Abdul Qadir. But Imran returned for his second spell with a semi-old ball and, aided by a strong wind, produced prodigious late swing at a blistering pace that left the Indian batsmen numb.Gavaskar was the first go, bowled through the gate, and it signalled a procession. India ended the day at 118 for 7, and of Imran’s five victims, four were bowled and only Mohinder Amarnath managed to get his front pad in the way. This was the spell that decided the series. Writing on the series for World Cricket Digest, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi termed it a “case of overkill”. Imran, who started the match with flu, ended the series with 40 wickets and by the time the Indians arrived in Hyderabad, Pakistani fans were holding up banners likening him to the F-16s, the American fighter planes that were the latest addition to Pakistan’s military stable.India had begun the Test horribly after being sent in on a newly laid, green-tinged pitch, by losing Gavaskar to a run-out from a direct hit by Imran, who then accounted for Vengsarkar with a ball that lifted and swung away. Arun Lal and Gundappa Viswanath put up a brief partnership, but India soon found themselves at 70 for 5. Kapil Dev avoided a total rout by merrily swinging away to a 53-ball 73. He was severe on Qadir in particular, hitting him for five fours and a six. And when Madan Lal removed Pakistan’s first three batsmen for 18, the day didn’t seem so bad for India.However, the second day belonged to Pakistan. Zaheer Abbas, who had scored a double-century in the first Test at Lahore, stroked away to 186 and added 213 runs for the fifth wicket with Mudassar Nazar, who was batting down the order because of flu. With useful 30s from Imran and Wasim Bari, Pakistan ended up with 452. India stayed in the battle for a couple of hours, after which it was all Imran.

BCCI and WICB officials are confident of securing US visas in time for their respective squads to go ahead with the proposed T20 series in Florida next month. A source with knowledge of the negotiations between the two boards, which took place at the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) on Thursday, said that the series is “98% on”.The tentative plan, it is understood, is to hold two T20s on August 27 and 28, following the negotiations in Florida that involved BCCI general manager MV Shridar and WICB commercial manager Nelecia Yeates. Discussions are also believed to involve staging a return visit by both sides in 2017.For now, the 2% hold-up on finalising the August series is based on multiple factors, including the visa status of players. However, multiple sources have confirmed that the BCCI has already submitted names, photographs and documents for their intended T20 squad to the US Embassy in Jamaica, where the second Test is due to start on Saturday.There is a sense of urgency to get expedited visas approved for India’s dual Test and T20 players at the US Embassy in Jamaica because there is no US Embassy in St Lucia, the venue of the third Test. All US consular affairs in St Lucia are handled by the US Embassy in Barbados. By waiting to file the visa applications until the team gets to Trinidad for the fourth Test, it would leave just a over a week to finalise other logistical aspects with no guarantee that the players’ visas will be approved.Aside from the visas, the WICB also needs to get approval from the ICC to host matches in the USA, though that is a formality with the ICC eager to facilitate as much cricket as possible within the country. ICC chief operating officer Iain Higgins is currently in Florida for the CPL matches and is expected to rubber stamp approval once an application is submitted.A contract will also need to be arranged with the CBRP and Broward County for stadium rental fees. That may also include paying a fee to accommodate the shifting of an event previously scheduled for August 28 at the stadium. The BCCI is determined to play the matches on a Saturday and Sunday to capitalise on the US expat market, enabling fans to fly into Florida for the weekend.The start times may also shift at the behest of the BCCI. The CPL matches taking place at the CBRP this week include local start times of 7 pm on the two week nights, and 12 pm and 4 pm doubleheaders for the weekend. The BCCI is pushing for the two T20Is to have a 10 am local start in Florida, which is 7.30 pm in India, allowing a prime-time audience and maximising TV revenue.One more piece in the puzzle is the ground capacity. The capacity for the CPL has been capped at 10,000, but the CBRP is capable of bringing in more temporary bleachers to hold as many as 20,000 people. The BCCI is angling for the capacity to be maxed out, confident that they can generate two sellouts and maximise gate revenue.Among the other details to be ironed out are the ticket-pricing policy as well as broadcast rights. Pending the approval of the players’ visas along with the other logistical details, the two proposed matches may not be finalised until sometime next week.

West Indies captain Jason Holder knows his team needs a much stronger batting performance in St Kitts than during their two tri-series matches in Guyana earlier this month. The series has moved on from the sluggish Providence Stadium pitch to the harder surface at Warner Park, which combined with the short boundaries makes it a more attractive ground for batsmen.Australia managed to post 288 for 6 at Warner Park on Saturday, enough for victory over South Africa, and West Indies get their first opportunity at the venue when they take on Australia on Monday. Holder said regardless of the change in conditions, his batting order needed to lift after being skittled for 116 by Australia in Guyana.”We didn’t bat well in the last game in Guyana,” Holder said. “We won the first game probably in the 48th over chasing 180. I think it’s obvious that we need to put some more runs on the board. This pitch here will be a lot better than Guyana in terms of strokeplay.”We saw the game yesterday and it looked like a pretty easy pace and pretty easy going for the batsmen. It’s important for the top four to bat as big as possible, give us a good solid foundation for our middle order to come in and capitalise.”West Indies have won four and lost four from eight ODIs in St Kitts since the ground hosted its first match 10 years ago. Last time they played there Denesh Ramdin slammed 169 off 121 balls and Darren Bravo scored 124 in what became a comfortable win over Bangladesh.”Traditionally playing here in St Kitts it tends to get a little slow,” Holder said. “It’s always been a slow track, but I guess the dimensions of the ground make it easier to hit the ball over the top and score freely. But having said that it could be a bit difficult, especially when the slow bowlers are on in the middle overs, to get the ball off the square.”I think we can use that to our favour. We’ve got two good spinners at the moment and there could be a possibility of playing three, you never know. I think it’s important we capitalise when the ball gets softer, as the Australians and South Africans pointed out, we try to peg back the scoring and keep it very tight.”Sunil Narine has been the most dangerous bowler in the series so far, with eight wickets from West Indies’ two matches, and Sulieman Benn has also proven difficult to get away. Offspinner Ashley Nurse is also in the squad as a third slow-bowling option.