Majumdar to lead Bengal
kolkata: Veteran batsman Anustup Majumdar was named Bengal captain for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, replacing Abhimanyu Easwaran. Shreevats Goswami will be Majumdar's deputy in the squad that also has Mohammed Shami's younger brother, seam bowling all-rounder Mohammed Kaif. Majumdar was rewarded with the captaincy for his stupendous show in the last season where he literally singlehandedly carried Bengal to the final. The Cricket Association of Bengal however said the 36-year-old Majumdar was appointed "only" for the domestic T20 tournament to free Easwaran of the "captaincy burden".
Krunal, Hooda in Baroda squad
vadodara: All-rounders Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda have been named in the 22-member Baroda squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy National T20 Championships, starting January 10. The Baroda Cricket Association announced the squad on its website. Apart from the pair, seasoned opener Kedar Devdhar and right-handed batsman Vishnu Solanki have also been included in the squad. The bowling attack is led by left-arm pacer Lukman Meriwala and comprises 30-year-old slow left-arm orthodox bowler Bhargav Bhatt alongside relatively new faces.The association also named Prabhakar Bairgond as its head coach after Dav Whatmore, who was initially appointed, was not able to take up the assignment.
Arjun picked in Mumbai's senior squad
kolkata: Young left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar, who is the son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, was on Saturday picked in Mumbai's senior team for the first time, featuring in an extended 22-member squad for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This was confirmed by the Mumbai team's chief selector Salil Ankola on Saturday. Apart from Arjun, another pacer, Krutik Hanagavadi, was also added to a 22-member squad. "Earlier the BCCI had asked to select 20 players. But later they said that 22 players can be selected in the squad, accordingly the two players were added to the squad," an MCA official stated. This is the first time that 21-year-old Arjun has been included in Mumbai's senior squad. He has been playing age-group tournaments for Mumbai and also has been part of the team, which plays invitational tournaments.
Eng squad clears COVID-19 test
London: England's Sri Lanka-bound cricket contingent has tested negative for COVID-19 and will be leaving for the island nation on Saturday for a two-match Test series, starting on January 14. England players and support staff had undergone COVID-19 testing on December 30. They will fly to Sri Lanka as per schedule on Saturday. On arrival, the contingent will spend 10 days in a bio-secure bubble in Hambantota, according to a report in 'Sky Sports'. England is scheduled to play two Test matches against Sri Lanka in Galle from January 14-18 and January 22-26.The series was postponed in March last year midway through the visitors' warm-up game in Colombo due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is part of the ongoing World Test Championship. This will be England's second touring assignment since the COVID-19 pandemic threw schedules haywire. .
Dale Steyn ‘unavailable’ for IPL this year
Johannesburg: South African pace legend Dale Steyn on Saturday made himself "unavailable" for this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) but ruled out an imminent retirement from competitive cricket. Steyn, 37, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the latest edition of the IPL. The pacer said he wants to take time off from the game. "Just a short message to let everyone know that I've made myself unavailable for RCB at this years IPL, I'm also not planning on playing for another team, just taking some time off during that period," Steyn tweeted.One of the world's greatest fast bowlers, Steyn also made it clear that he is not calling it quits anytime soon, despite playing international cricket for the past 16 years. The bowler, though, had retired from Test cricket in 2019 as South Africa's highest wicket-taker in the format. "I will be playing in other leagues, nicely spaced out to give myself a opportunity to do something's I've been excited about as well as continue to play the game I love so much. "NO, I'm NOT retired," he stressed.