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Rishabh Pant is set to make his comeback in red-ball cricket with the 2024-25 Duleep Trophy, as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee picked the squads for the first round of the tournament. This is the first time Pant will play first-class cricket since his car accident in December 2022.Mohammed Shami, however, isn’t part of any of the four squads. He is nearing full fitness and has begun bowling full tilt as he targets a comeback during the two-Test home series against Bangladesh from September 19. Shami is expected to continue training under the NCA’s watch in Bengaluru.Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who had lost their central contracts for not prioritising domestic cricket last season, are also back in the first-class fold along with a host of other top players, including KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav.Related

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As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Test captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah have been given an extended break ahead of India’s home season.Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, whose most recent competitive game was in January 2024, is also set to make a comeback after a lengthy injury layoff. He is in the final stages of rehab for a quadriceps tendon injury, for which he underwent surgery in February. Prasidh will miss the Maharaja T20 Trophy, Karnataka’s domestic T20 competition, to complete his recovery ahead of the first round of the Duleep Trophy matches played simultaneously in Anantapur and Bengaluru from September 5.Top-order batter Tilak Varma, who suffered a wrist injury towards the end of IPL 2024, was also picked for the Duleep Trophy. He wasn’t picked in India’s squad that played five T20Is in Zimbabwe in July because of the injury.The selection panel has rewarded domestic form, an example of which is the inclusion of Mumbai allrounder Musheer Khan. The 19-year-old had a breakout year in which he was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup squad as well as Mumbai’s victorious Ranji Trophy campaign.Musheer, who struck a double-hundred in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final and a match-winning hundred in the final, will play alongside his older brother and India batter Sarfaraz Khan, one of the several contenders for a place in India’s Test middle order.Allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been included subject to fitness. He is recovering from a sports hernia surgery in June, after being withdrawn from India’s T20I squad to Zimbabwe. Some notable names not to make the cut were Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Shams Mulani. It is not yet known whether any of them would come in as replacements for the Test players who will leave after the first round.Originally a zonal competition featuring teams from six zones – North, South, East, West, Central and North-East – Duleep Trophy will have only four teams this time, named Team A, Team B, Team C and Team D. The players who will be picked for the Bangladesh series will be replaced in the Duleep Trophy.

Duleep Trophy 2024-25 squads (first round)

Team A: Shubman Gill (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (wk), KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.Team B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (wk)Team C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Umran Malik, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (wk), Sandeep WarrierTeam D: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (wk), Saurabh Kumar

Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s interim coach, wants his team to channel the criticism they have received after the T20I series loss to India to turn things around during the 50-overs leg of the tour.”I tell them that I have been at this place too during my 20 years as a player,” Jayasuriya said ahead of the first ODI in Colombo. “A lot of you have just started. You have to be able to accept this criticism, and then be able to come out and play well. If you play well the fans will love you. What they say to you is because of the hurt they are feeling, and that’s temporary.Jayasuriya said the Sri Lankan team was putting in “huge efforts” at training, and the batting collapses they suffered in all three T20Is was simply a case of things not clicking. Two nights ago, they lost 7 for 27 as India took the third T20I into the Super Over despite the hosts cruising towards their 138-run target at one stage. In the first T20I, they lost 9 for 30 after setting themselves up for victory at 140 for 1 in 14 overs while chasing 214.Jayasuriya said it wasn’t a lack of skill or commitment that led to the meltdowns. He felt his players’ “cricket awareness” needed sharpening. “We have created a system where top-order batters could bat for two or three hours during training,” he said. “Kamindu Mendis batted for more than 600 balls during our training. Kusal Perera batted for over 700 balls and that’s quite a number of overs.Related

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“I don’t see a lack of commitment, but they have got to tackle pressure better. Their cricket awareness also needs sharpening. We are taking the responsibility; you can’t go away from that. As long as they realise that, and make sure that, we’ll have to keep giving them the confidence and support.”Jayasuriya elaborated on the “cricket awareness” aspect by citing how it was acceptable to not be a six-hitting team.”When you talk about power hitting, I don’t think you need that much,” Jayasuriya said. “If you hit enough fours and enough twos, you get the total that you need. The [Sri Lankan] grounds are a little bigger. There’s no reason why you can’t hit boundaries, or twos, or threes. If you can do that, you can get by without hitting so many sixes.”Jayasuriya also backed new captain Charith Asalanka to come good, while underlining the importance of giving him time to settle into the new role before being judged. Since his debut in 2021, Asalanka has risen to become one of Sri Lanka’s more consistent ODI batters, averaging 43.59 with a strike rate of almost 90 across 52 innings.”Charith Asalanka is one of our best players in this format, and we need to remember that,” Jayasuriya said. “But when you get the captaincy, there is some pressure. I’ve been there too. You have got to give them a little time in that position.”There are ten more players in the side, and 16 in the squad. We all have to get together and give him the confidence too. At any moment, the captain could click. Charith Asalanka is someone who works really hard. He’s very professional and communicates well.”The Sri Lanka players have been hit by injuries and illnesses in the lead-up to the ODI series. The list is rather long – Binura Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara are all unavailable.”We have brought Pramod Madushan into our squad,” Jayasuriya said. “There’s also a viral flu in the team and we need to account for that. Maheesh Theekshana was sick and he recovered enough to play. Wanindu Hasaranga also had it. There were several who caught it and in the end, we even had to admit Binura Fernando to the hospital.”The absence of key players, though, is not something Jayasuriya wants to use as an excuse. He insists there’s plenty to play for and has spoken to players individually about placing an emphasis on being “mentally in the right place”.”I’m interim coach and I’ve only got these two series, but that’s not how I think,” he said. “When I was playing, and even now, I hate to lose. The players who are around now know that too. When I talk to them, I tell them that fans in this country love the game, and a lot of us, including me, have brought cricket into this country to a certain place.”I’ve spoken about that a lot individually with players and as a team. In terms of facilities and practice, I’ve tried to do as much as I can. What I want is to create a good environment so they can be mentally in the right place and can play with confidence.”

Mark Wood admitted England had been aware of “a few negatives flying around” in the lead-up to their crucial victory over Oman on Thursday, but said he had harnessed the “nervous energy” to help deliver a statement performance that has got the team’s T20 World Cup back on track.With nothing less than victory required, Wood proved too hot to handle in his fierce three-over burst against Oman. He struck twice in his opening powerplay over, including a return catch first-ball, and finished with 3 for 12 as Oman were rolled aside for 47 in 13.2 overs.England’s fate is still not entirely in their own hands despite rushing to their target in just 19 balls, to revive their flagging net run rate. Assuming they overcome Namibia on Saturday, in what will be the first T20I between the two teams, they will still require Australia to beat Scotland 24 hours later to confirm their place in the Super Eight.But, after a washout in their own match against Scotland, followed by a 36-run loss to Australia in Barbados last week that had left them needing such favours, Wood was delighted with the focussed display that England produced to see off Oman, given the doubts that had been swirling externally about the team’s readiness to defend the title that they won two years ago.”It feels great,” Wood said. “We had to put a stamp on the game … the table didn’t look great obviously before, but it looks a lot better now. There’s still work to do, but I’m feeling a lot better about things after this game.”Wood himself had come in for particular criticism during the Barbados leg of the campaign, not least in the Australia defeat where – on a surface that was not suited to raw pace – he was taken apart by David Warner in the powerplay, conceding three sixes and a four in a 22-run opening over.Mark Wood bowled with pace to claim three wickets against Oman•ICC via Getty Images

He came back well from that indignity, conceding just ten runs in his next two overs by resorting to a diet of cutters, but it was not sufficient to rescue England’s position in the contest.”I’ve been pretty happy with how it’s gone apart from that one really stinking over,” Wood said, having previously been England’s most economical option in the two overs he was able to bowl before the Scotland match was abandoned. “I know I’ve come in for a lot of flak and a lot of stick in the last few days, but I was determined to put on another performance.”I was probably more pleased with the fact that I came back [against Australia], showed some resilience and actually bought some cutters which isn’t natural to me. Normally I’m just trying to bowl quick so to use some guile and some skill, I was pleased. There were obviously doubts about me keeping my spot, but I’ve been quietly trying to keep my focus to perform for the team.”Part of that focus, Wood said, had come from working with David Young, the team psychologist who aided England’s 2019 World Cup campaign and who has been brought back to the squad on a consultancy basis from his current role with Manchester City.”Self-doubt is common for players,” he said. “I was speaking to Youngy about more of the things that I focus on, rather than outcome all the time.”Of course, you have doubts every game you play for England,” he added. “I don’t think there’s a cricketer who doesn’t have a little bit of self-doubt, but the nerves before the game, that’s what helps people bowl fast as well, because you have that nervous energy, that excitement.Related

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“You want to perform, you’re out there in front of cameras, the millions of people watching, the media, opposition … it’s all judgment, so you’ve got to just remember your focus and what you’re trying to do. In Twenty20 it’s a bit different, isn’t it? You can bowl really well and get whacked, or you can bowl rubbish and get two or three wickets. So, it’s the realisation that you’re doing the right things in your own mind.”Above all else, Wood was pleased with the ruthlessness of England’s victory over Oman, first with the ball and in the field, and then with the bat during their rapid run-chase. However, the team are still reliant on another display of ruthlessness from Australia against Scotland, if their mini-revival is to count for anything in the qualification stakes.All the talk in the build-up to the Oman match had centred around Josh Hazlewood’s suggestion that Australia might go easy on Scotland to help knock England out early. Far from being fired up by the notion, however, Wood said the team had taken that suggestion as a compliment, adding that they had no doubts that Australia would be gunning for victory, as ever, on Sunday.”I think that’s part of being England and Australia, isn’t it?” he said. “I think actually I saw it more as a respect thing, if I’m honest, that he was saying that England have done well against Australia in the recent past and thinks we’re a big threat and a big team, so I have no problem with it.”He did, however, admit it would be slightly strange to be cheering on Australia in the final group game.”I know I’m close to the Scottish border [coming from Durham] and Australia and Scotland are England’s rivals… but we’ll obviously be supporting Australia because we’re trying to get through,” he said.”We have got to show a little bit more and then fingers crossed for Australia. Then when you are through to that next stage every team can go on from there. I’m absolutely confident they’ll play the game their hardest, that’s the Australian way. They’ll play hard and fair and try to get the win.”

Four centuries, a first in women’s ODIs. A total of 646 runs. The spectators in Bengaluru were treated to as entertaining a game of 50-over cricket as they could have imagined, and the result went their way too: India clinched a last-ball win over South Africa to secure the series 2-0 with a match in hand.It came down to Pooja Vastrakar’s final over where she had to defend 10 runs after India had posted 325 for 3. After conceding five off the first two balls, both full tosses, her next two deliveries fetched her two wickets with Laura Wolvaardt, one of four century-makers in the game, stranded at the non-striker’s end. The equation became five off the final delivery, and Wolvaardt, finally on strike, was beaten by Vastrakar’s back-of-the-hand slower delivery.Related

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Earlier, after being asked to bat first, India scored their third-highest ODI total with Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur smashing 136 and 103 not out respectively. While it looked out of reach after South Africa were reduced to 67 for 3 in the chase, Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp’s 184-run partnership took the game deep.Not long ago, South Africa were at the receiving end of the highest successful ODI run-chase of 302 by Sri Lanka. On Wednesday, they came close to breaking that record but fell short of it.

SA start brilliantly with the ball

The way South Africa started with the ball, one would have expected India to stop at around 230-240.The second ODI was played on a different strip to the series opener, with a patch of grass and visible cracks on it. The new-ball pair of Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klaas extracted everything they could from it, exerting pressure on Shafali Verma and Mandhana with a lot of movement. A bit of variable bounce also meant runs were hard to get initially. Mandhana, in fact, got off the mark after 18 deliveries.As for Shafali, she showed glimpses of patience in her 38-ball innings but it was short-lived. After smashing a four straight down the ground off left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba, she tried to go across the line next ball and holed out to Klaas at mid-on.After 15 overs, India had huffed and puffed to 47 for 1, hitting just five fours. In this period, they had faced 72 dot balls.Harmanpreet Kaur celebrates after scoring a blistering century•BCCI

The game-changing partnership

Along with D Hemalatha, the No. 3, Mandhana stitched a steady 62 runs off 68 balls. Hemalatha fell for a 41-ball 24, and it was only after Harmanpreet walked out that runs started flowing.The pitch had also eased out by then, and Harmanpreet and Mandhana put on a huge partnership – 171 runs off 136 balls. Their centuries not only helped India overcome their sedate start but also batted South Africa into a corner (though not out of the game, as it emerged).Mandhana oozed class and Harmanpreet showed what power and deft touch can do.Mandhana picked up pace, getting herself from 31 off the first 48 balls to her seventh ODI hundred in 103 balls, and went on to add 36 more. When the bowlers varied their lines, she moved around the crease and either slashed it to deep point or pulled to the square-leg area. Along the way, Mandhana also became the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in women’s ODIs.Harmanpreet didn’t have to start slow, unlike her deputy. After racing to a run-a-ball 24, she got quicker as her innings progressed. Unlike Mandhana, who scored on both sides of the wicket, Harmanpreet scored predominantly on the leg side. A total of 70 of her runs came on that side, with four of her nine fours and two out of three sixes hit in the midwicket region.Meike de Ridder, who played in place of South Africa’s first-choice wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta after she suffered a mild concussion on the eve of the match, missed a stumping chance when Harmanpreet was on 88, off the second delivery off the final over. It gave Harmanpreet a chance to complete her sixth ODI century, the first in almost two years, and she smoked 4, 6 and 4 to get to three figures.South Africa ran out of steam, with Wolvaardt even bringing on legspinning-allrounder Sune Luus – who was bowling in ODIs after a gap of two years – into the attack. However, they couldn’t contain India, who scored 118 runs in the last ten overs.At the other end, Richa Ghosh, batting at No. 5, plundered a 13-ball unbeaten 25, comprising three fours and a six, and was key in the unbroken 54-run stand with Harmanpreet.Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt almost won the game for South Africa•Getty Images

Kapp and Wolvaardt fight back

Kapp and Wolvaardt, the senior pros, were resolute and unwavering in their focus.This being South Africa’s second-last series in the 2022-25 Women’s Championship cycle, they need a couple of wins out of six to ensure automatic qualification for the World Cup next year in India. They had already lost the opening game, and needed points here. They play England next at home.South Africa didn’t get off to an ideal start, losing three wickets for 67 inside 15 overs. However, unlike on Sunday, the pitch was helping the batters during the chase with the Indian spinners not getting enough grip and turn under lights. That helped Wolvaardt and Kapp settle in and then go big in the last 15 or so overs.Initially, they kept the scoreboard ticking over, putting away the loose deliveries and taking singles off good ones. That clarity and patience saw both the set batters converting their starts and getting to half-centuries.Kapp, playing as a pure batter with her workload being managed following a back injury, thrived under pressure and hit 11 fours and three sixes in her 94-ball 114. Wolvaardt, who became the first South Africa batter to score 4000 runs in women’s ODIs on the night, took calculated risks and paced her innings well to stay till the end. Her knock had 12 fours and three sixes.With 148 runs needed from the last 15 overs, the pair accelerated. Even after Kapp was dismissed in the 43rd, courtesy a superb catch from Vastrakar at long-off, Wolvaardt kept going hard, striking the ball effortlessly.Nadine de Klerk’s cameo of 28 also helped South Africa get closer. Till, in the end, they fell just short.

New Zealand’s four-man pace attack tore through West Indies’ fragile batting line-up with swing, pace and bounce, dismissing the visitors for 161 in the third ODI in Hamilton. Having already wrapped up the series, New Zealand swept West Indies 3-0 and fortified their command at home – they have lost just two ODIs at home since the start of 2020.Only South Africa (17) have achieved more consecutive bilateral series wins than New Zealand’s 11 at home in men’s ODIs.In the absence of the injured Daryl Mitchell, the current No.1-ranked ODI batter, New Zealand were made to work hard in their chase. They lost their top three within 11 overs, and then Tom Latham also fell cheaply, but Mark Chapman settled New Zealand along with Michael Bracewell. He crashed 64 off 63 balls, countering both Matthew Forde and Jayden Seales, who had posed a bigger threat with the new ball, and putting New Zealand back on the road to another win.Michael Bracewell also flexed his muscle at the other end in a 75-run partnership for the fifth wicket off only 48 balls. Their presence kept left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre, who had replaced the injured Romario Shepherd, away from the attack. Pierre didn’t bowl at all and ended up playing as a specialist fielder during West Indies’ defence.Chapman and captain Mitchell Santner holed out when New Zealand were on the doorstep of victory, but Bracewell and Zak Foulkes took them home with four wickets and almost 20 overs to spare.After opting to bat first, West Indies had left almost 14 overs unused in their innings. Matt Henry was the wrecker-in-chief, coming away with 4 for 43 while Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy and Foulkes, who had replaced the injured Nathan Smith (hamstring issue), shared four among them. In the absence of Shepherd, who was out with a hamstring niggle of his own, West Indies’ batting lacked depth.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was Henry who started West Indies’ slide in the powerplay when he removed rookie opener Ackeem Auguste and Keacy Carty in the fifth over. Auguste, 22, squandered another start when he flapped a hard-length delivery to mid-on for 17 off 19 balls. Henry then shifted to a Test-match line and length to have an indecisive Carty chopping on for a duck.The Seddon Park conditions didn’t offer prodigious swing or seam movement, but there was enough to keep Henry and Jamieson interested. Jamieson went around the wicket and found movement and extra bounce to have John Campbell, the other opener, nicking off to slip for 26 off 24 balls. Apart from Campbell, Roston Chase was the only other West Indies batter to pass 25.Shai Hope, the best batter in this West Indies ODI side, had a decent start, but his innings was cut short on 16 when Foulkes had him caught by the keeper down the leg side off an inswinger. West Indies slumped to 77 for 4 at that point.Only the early juice disappeared, New Zealand’s quicks relentlessly banged the ball into the pitch and discomfited West Indies’ batters. Henry, Jamieson and Duffy all showed their creativity and range by bowling cross-seamers and scrambled-seam deliveries into the pitch.Sherfane Rutherford, Chase and Shamar Springer all were bounced out and at one stage, Santner had even installed Rachin Ravindra at short leg. Neil Wagner, who was in the commentary box, might have had memories of his own short-ball bursts.Shai Hope throws his head back in disappointment after being strangled down the leg side•Getty Images

Chase needed some treatment and taping on his hand after Jamieson smacked him on his glove with a lifter in the 30th over. After Jamieson had softened Chase up, Henry made the incision in the next over when he had the batter top-edging a catch to extra-cover.Pierre and Seales showed some semblance of resistance with an 18-run stand for the last wicket before Henry broke through and applied the finishing touches.Santner had also done his bit with the ball, picking up the wickets of Justin Greaves and Forde in his first over to hasten West Indies’ collapse.West Indies then hit back through Forde and Seales with the ball. Seales dared Devon Conway to hook and had him caught at long leg before prolonging Will Young’s lean run. Forde, who has troubled left-handers with his sharp angle from around the wicket and swing throughout this tour, had Ravinda chopping on for 14. When Chase had Latham caught at midwicket, New Zealand appeared vulnerable at 70 for 4, especially in the absence of Mitchell, but the left-handed duo of Chapman and Bracewell saved the day for them.Chapman had a slow start – he was on 13 off 29 balls at one point – but turned up the tempo to reach his fifty off 58. He took Forde for 4,6,4,4 in the 27th over and ruined his figures. Bracewell remained unbeaten to seal the deal along with Foulkes.

Shubman Gill is set to miss India’s second Test against South Africa starting on Saturday after failing to recover sufficiently from the neck injury he suffered last week. Vice captain Rishabh Pant will stand in as captain in Guwahati.It is understood that, according to medical advice, Gill is at risk of further neck spasms if he plays so soon. He has been advised more rest. The development could also impact his selection in the ODI squad for the three matches against South Africa starting on November 30. The squad for that series is expected to be picked on November 23.With Gill set to miss out, India may have to choose one of B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy as his replacement.Related

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Gill was admitted to hospital after the second day of the Kolkata Test, following the decision to retire hurt after facing only three balls in India’s first innings. On the morning of the third day, the BCCI said he would take no further part in the Test. India went on to lose the match by 30 runs, after getting dismissed for 93 in a chase of 124 on a pitch with uneven bounce. Gill had missed a Test against New Zealand in October 2024 due to a neck spasm too.On Thursday, before ESPNcricinfo learned that Gill is set to miss the match, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had said in a press conference that the team would not risk playing him if there was any chance of the spasm recurring.”He is definitely recovering really well,” Kotak said. “Now, the decision [whether to play him or not] will be taken tomorrow evening. The physios, doctors, they will have to take a call that, [even] if he is fully recovered, [during the] game, he should not get that spasm again.”[…] If we have a, guarantee that, very likely, he won’t have this issue again, then he will play. If there is a doubt, then I am sure, he will take rest [for] one more game, because it won’t be helpful to the team [if he plays].”Nitish Kumar Reddy put in the hard yards at the nets in Guwahati•AFP/Getty Images

One of the concerns for India as they figure out Gill’s replacement is the surfeit of left-hand batters in their squad. They had six in their XI in Kolkata – five in their top eight – and Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal, the two specialist batters vying to come into the line-up, also bat left-handed. The left-hander-heavy nature of India’s line-up had advantaged offspinner Simon Harmer, the Player of the Match in Kolkata, significantly.Kotak suggested there had been undue focus on the offspinner-vs-left-hander match-up, and pointed out that South Africa also played Keshav Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, at Eden Gardens, which should have advantaged India’s line-up.”You tell me one thing, they had a left-arm spinner also. If we had seven right-handed batsmen, then? They had a left-arm spinner also, and an offspinner also. I believe that you have to play well. Offspinner bowling to left-hander does not mean left-hander has to get out. We had two left-arm spinners [in the first Test], they had nine right-handers; did they get out? So maybe that thing is a little overrated.”Overrated or not, India will still likely mull over the match-ups even as they prepare for a Guwahati track that is set to be more forgiving to the batters than Kolkata was.India’s mandatory practice session two days out from the match gave some indication of who might come in for Gill. The first four batters who came out to bat in the nets were Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel. The first three had been India’s top three in Kolkata, and Jurel had batted at No. 4 in the second innings, in Gill’s absence. Sai Sudharsan was next into the nets.Padikkal, meanwhile, did not bat in the early part of the practice session, but was seen bowling part-time offspin in the spinners’ net.Seam-bowling allrounder Reddy, who was released from the squad in Kolkata so he could play in India A’s limited-overs series against South Africa A, was back in training, and bowled alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep in the fast bowlers’ net.Axar did not bowl initially, and only joined his team-mates some 45 minutes or so into the session.None of this necessarily points to India’s possible selection. Players have their own individual preferences for what kind of training they do, and how much, leading into games.But with a more balanced pitch than Kolkata expected on Saturday, India may not feel the need for a fourth spin bowler and a second left-arm orthodox spinner. If Sai Sudharsan replaces Gill, Reddy coming in for Axar would help India maintain the same balance of left- and right-hand batters they had in Kolkata. With a decent amount of grass on the pitch two days out from the Test, there is a chance Reddy could be a useful option with the ball too.

Fast bowler Kwena Maphaka has been ruled out of South Africa’s one-off T20I against Namibia and the white-ball tour of Pakistan because of a hamstring strain.Ottneil Baartman has been named as replacement for the T20I, scheduled for October 11. He has also been included in the T20I squad for the three-match series against Pakistan later this month. Lizaad Williams, who is already part of the T20I squad, has been added to the ODI squad for the Pakistan series.As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Maphaka had an injury scare while playing for Lions against Western Province in a four-day domestic match at Newlands last week. He bowled 5.5 overs in the first innings but had to leave the field with hamstring discomfort. He was taken for a scan which revealed no major damage and returned to take the new ball in the second innings. His 3 for 26 in ten overs led Lions’ charge to victory by an innings and 134 runs.However, CSA later stated that “subsequent scans and medical assessments revealed a grade 1-2 injury, and he will undergo rehabilitation over the next four weeks”.South Africa’s long tour of Pakistan begins with two Tests from October 12, followed by three T20Is from October 28 and as many ODIs that will conclude on November 8.

South Africa’s squad for Namibia T20I

Donovan Ferreira (capt), Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane, Jason Smith, Lizaad Williams, Ottneil Baartman

South Africa’s squad for Pakistan T20Is

David Miller (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, George Linde, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Andile Simelane, Lizaad Williams, Ottneil Baartman

South Africa’s squad for Pakistan ODIs

Matthew Breetzke (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Bjorn Fortuin, George Linde, Lizaad Williams, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sinethemba Qeshile

Oval Invincibles brushed London Spirit aside with ease in the opening game of the men’s Hundred as they began their bid to win the title for the third year in a row.Sam Billings’ side, who lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024, are backing themselves for a ‘three-peat’ and the manner of their victory in the competition opener bodes well, a comfortable six-wicket stroll past a London Spirit side who never seemed at the races.Spirit batted first and were soon in trouble – Keaton Jennings, Kane Williamson and David Warner all back in the pavilion with the score on only 26. It wasn’t to get any better for Justin Langer’s side, who could only limp to 80 all out, undone by the combined guile of Sam Curran (3 for 16) and Rashid Khan (3 for 11), Rashid impressing on debut for the Invincibles.”It was nice to get that start, with the win most importantly and then to perform for the team was amazing,” Rashid said. “It’s been a good start for me. I’ve been out of the game for the last two months but it’s nice to get back and get back with a win.Will Jacks steered the Invincibles chase•Getty Images

“The break [since the IPL] has really helped. Physically but also mentally, to get ready for the next competition. The IPL is three months, it’s a long competition, and I needed a break mentally as well and that’s really helped. I’m quite happy with today.”Needing just 81 under the lights, Oval used the chase as a chance for more batting practice – Billings and Donovan Ferreira unbeaten and unfussed at the end, with Ferreira ending proceedings with a mighty six – the only one of the match – into the Tavern Stand.Rashid defended the quality of the pitch, and said: “It was a good surface. Spin was there but the length you bowled was really important today. When I bowled it was just in my mind to hit the right areas consistently, to bowl a good line and length, and it went really well.”

Back injuries among Australian fast bowlers is nearing epidemic levels, with Queensland teenager Callum Vidler the latest in the list, ruled out of the Australia A white-ball tour of India and the start of the domestic summer with a partial stress fracture.Fresh off the news that Test captain Pat Cummins has a hot spot and Cricket Australia contracted quick Lance Morris is undergoing back surgery, there had been hopes of accelerating Vidler’s progression given the promise he showed in the Sheffield Shield final in March following his performances in Australia’s Under-19 World Cup victory last year.He was set to play in the white-ball portion of Australia A’s tour of India later this month and had been preparing by playing three T20 matches in the T20 Max in Queensland for his club side Valley.Related

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But scans late last week detected a partial fracture in his L3 vertebrae. Queensland general manager of high performance Joe Dawes confirmed that Vidler has to now undergo a rehab process but there is no time frame on his return.”Callum experienced some back pain during training and promptly reported it,” Dawes said. “Unfortunately, the scans came back confirming a stress fracture so he will spend some time recovering and then start a rehab plan. He’s naturally very disappointed but accepts that injuries are part of the game. We’ll work closely with him to ensure he has the best recovery to get him ready for a return to cricket.”Australia A had already lost Morris and his replacement Brody Couch from the red-ball portion of the series with India. Couch had suffered a side strain but is expected to be right for the start of the Shield season with Western Australia while Morris is out for a year.South Australia’s Henry Thornton was called in as Couch’s replacement for the red-ball matches in India and will now remain on for the three white-ball matches as weekVidler, 19, impressed with his performance in the Shield final last March when he bagged 4 for 64 and 1 for 60 while showcasing impressive pace on a sluggish Karen Rolton Oval pitch. He is part of the quartet of quicks from his Under-19 group, which has Tom Straker, who was also selected for the Australia A white-ball team to tour India, Mahli Beardman and Charlie Anderson. Beardman is currently recovering from stress fractures while Anderson has had significant back issues in the recent past and is being carefully managed.The injury leaves Queensland thin in terms of their fast-bowling stocks just a week out from the start of the Dean Jones Trophy.