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Shrikant Kalyani, the former Maharashtra and Bengal batsman, has been named coach of the Maharashtra senior team for the 2016-17 Indian domestic season. Kalyani succeeds Australian David Andrews, who coached the side in the last two seasons.”It’s a great feeling to be appointed as Maharashtra coach. I came to know that it is [a decision] taken by the managing committee [of the Maharashtra Cricket Association],” Kalyani told ESPNcricinfo. “After playing more than 18 years of first-class cricket, I’d really like to share my experience with the boys and nurture their talent.”Maharashtra had an underwhelming season in 2015-16, finishing third from last in Group A. Kalyani said he kept track of Maharashtra’s recent performances, and that he would address the team’s issues. “My main purpose will be to enhance the talent of the boys overall,” he said. “I have to work on their fitness, technique, their strengths, all these things are there.”Maharashtra have had a number of coaches in recent times like Shaun Williams, Dermot Reeve, Surendra Bhave and Andrews, but Kalyani said he wasn’t worried about getting – or not getting – a long stint. “I suppose it [the contract] is for one year,” he said. “I am not concerned with the long-run coaching contract. I am concerned with enhancing the performance of the boys.”Ajay Shirke, the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, announced the state’s selection committee for the Ranji Trophy will include Kalyani. Also on the selection committee are the assistant coach Akshay Tandale, Riyaz Bagwan (chairman), Kaisar Fakih and Rahul Dhole Patil.

Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada have joined captain AB de Villiers in expressing reservations about playing a day-night Test because of concerns over the pink ball. Cricket South Africa rejected Cricket Australia’s offer of a day-night Test later this year because the South African players did not want to have a match of high stakes played in unfamiliar conditions. Philander and Rabada admitted they want more opportunities for practice matches and domestic day-night games before going into a pink-ball Test.”If you are going there, you need to have experimented on the domestic front. We haven’t done that so it would be a total blind eye going into it. I would like to have experimented before you actually go and do it,” Philander said at a sponsor announcement on Wednesday.When asked how many games he thought teams would need to get used to the pink ball, Philander was unsure but he did not think one practice game, which was what Australia offered South Africa on their visit later this year, would be enough.”You have to try and test the pink ball properly,” Philander said. “We are all professional players and I think sometimes people think we are quick to adapt to everything. As far as the pink ball is concerned, you are going to need a few games to get used to it.”Like de Villiers, both Philander and Rabada cited the uneven contest between bat and ball as the key reason for their hesitation to play a day-night Test. “There are a lot of rumours of the ball being okay during the day and then at night being a bit difficult for batters,” Philander said. Rabada echoed those thoughts: “From what I hear, it’s not a fair contest between bat and ball and that should be Test cricket.”But Rabada also took a view similar to Dale Steyn, and said that he would like to play a day-night Test at some point in his career. “I haven’t given it much thought but I wouldn’t mind playing in it. I’ve heard good things and I’ve heard bad things,” Rabada said. “Perhaps they need to look into it more and perhaps make it a bit more fair. The positive is that it brings crowds in. They need to find a way to balance the two, so that it’s good for cricket and good for publicising the sport. You need to find a way to come to a fair conclusion where both parties are happy.”Steyn had told that he did not want to go through his “whole career without playing a day-night game” and wanted to test his skills with something different. He later clarified on Twitter that although he wanted to play a pink-ball Test in future, he did not want it to be the Adelaide match on South Africa’s tour to Australia later this year.

Beau Webster is ready to have to prove himself all over again in a bid to secure a spot in Australia’s side for the Ashes, despite having produced a collection of vital innings early in his Test career.Webster has scored four half-centuries in seven Tests, starting with a critical one on debut against India at the SCG, where Australia clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He followed that by being the team’s top-scorer in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s, and by making fifties in Barbados and Grenada in very tough conditions against West Indies. Alongside the runs, Webster has claimed eight wickets with the ball, and added strength to Australia’s slip cordon.However, despite those strong returns, there is a world where he sees himself squeezed out of the Test XI by the time England arrive for the Ashes. That could happen if Cameron Green’s return to bowling remains on track, and the selectors decide to move Green back down the order rather than keep him at No. 3, where he finished strongly in the West Indies.Related

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“When you’re at the top level, you’re fighting to hang on to your spot,” Webster told reporters in Hobart, having returned from a county stint with Warwickshire, for whom he played two more matches in this season’s County Championship after the West Indies tour.”With all the wonderful cricketers around the country, and especially a guy like Cameron Green, he batted at the top of the order [in the West Indies], and didn’t bowl. He’s obviously going to be back bowling this summer, which is going to put a bit more pressure on my spot at No. 6 as the allrounder. But I welcome it.”I feel like I’ve been in this position before a lot in my career, where I’ve got to score runs to either go to the next level or stay on the team. It’s certainly not unfamiliar. I’m looking forward to once again showing what I can do at [Sheffield] Shield level, and hopefully, be lining up in that first Ashes Test in Perth. It’s going to be a massive summer. I’m sure the team’s going to change a little bit throughout those five Tests. I’m just going to do everything I can to make sure I’m there for all five.”There is plenty to play out before the Test squad is selected, and then a final XI determined for the opening Ashes game on November 21. Moving Green back down the order would need two top-order players to make a compelling case for selection, given there is a likely vacancy as an opener alongside Usman Khawaja after Sam Konstas’ struggles against West Indies.Webster could play four Sheffield Shield matches before the opening Test – Australia’s squad is expected to be named after round three – and if he picks up the form that propelled him into the Australia set-up in the first place, it will leave the selectors with some tough decisions about whether they can fit two allrounders in the XI.”There’s no hundred next to my name, which I would have loved to go on with one of those [half-centuries]”•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

“It’s going to be an intriguing first couple of rounds with potentially all the big boys playing a few of the Shield games, too,” Webster said. “There’s going to be some really strong Shield teams out there, which only promotes better cricket. So it’s going to be exciting for our boys to line up against a number of Test cricketers in the first couple of rounds as well.”It’s always exciting when the team’s not quite settled, and there’s a few opportunities for people to put their hand up and try and get a spot in that first squad.”Webster’s only regret from his Test career so far is that none of his half-centuries have been converted into three figures, even though the runs he has scored have often been worth more given the conditions.”I feel like I’ve scored some tough runs,” he said. “At the same time, there’s no hundred next to my name, which I would have loved to go on with one of those [half-centuries]. I felt like I was batting as good as I have done in a number of those innings. I feel like I’ve got all the tools to succeed this summer in the Ashes with what England are going to potentially bring.”

Lunch Jasprit Bumrah was saved, or saved himself, for Lord’s. The temptation of the most famous honour’s board in the world might have had something to do with it and he very nearly wrote himself on it as India started the second day in full flow. India took three wickets in the first five overs – all three the work of their talismanic fast bowler – but a familiar face stalled their progress. Jamie Smith went past 400 runs in the series and walked off at the lunch break with England no longer feeling that queasiness in the stomach that comes with giving up a strong position. They went from 260 for 4 to 271 for 7 but will sit down and dig into the ground’s celebrated catering at 353 for 7.Lord’s stood up as one to salute Joe Root when he got the chance the vent the nerves of spending the night on 99, the first ball offering him width that he took on happily. An outside edge squirted away to the deep third boundary to signal the Englishman’s 37th Test century – which puts him in the top five in all of Test cricket. He went past Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith.Bumrah decided he wasn’t willing to share the stage anymore. So he sent back both the England captain Ben Stokes and their century maker as well, Root falling to the Indian fast bowler for the 11th time. There was another small victory for the visitors in this period of play when Shubman Gill secured his first successful review on tour to get rid of Chris Woakes.India continued to challenge the umpires, their irritation sparked by a decision to change the second new ball – a mere 10.3 overs into its use – which was working quite well for them. Gill spent the entire morning drinks break with umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula seemingly dissatisfied with the replacement ball. They didn’t have to deal with it for long though. Eight overs in, the replacement ball was being replaced.

Away in the background, Smith, who was dropped by KL Rahul on 5, just kept his head down and did his thing. Once more, he led an England lower-order recovery mission, his skillset perfectly suited to the task. A 52-ball half-century was the result of a man concentrating on the job at hand while the opposition was too busy fretting about what could have been. India tried to forget about Smith and blow away the other end, but that didn’t work either. Brydon Carse was batting well enough to hit Akash Deep on the up through the covers and getting down on bent knee to slash Bumrah past point.England’s eighth wicket pair had come together in the middle of a crisis. With all the focus on Bumrah and India and the quality of the Dukes balls, they’ve quietly shifted the balance of the Test match.

How much luck is too much? Long before 19-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorius became the youngest ever to score 150 in men’s Test cricket, he had been given four reprieves thanks to a mixture of the umpiring and the absence of DRS. After getting lives on 30, 54, 55 and 127, Pretorius ended up scoring 153 off 160 balls. At the time of his dismissal, he alone had scored more than half of South Africa’s total against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.By the end of the day, Corbin Bosch’s maiden Test hundred added to fellow debutant Dewald Brevis’ counterattacking 51 from 41 deliveries earlier in the day, as the visitors finished day one of the first Test on 418 for 9.Pretorius arrived when South Africa were reeling at 23 for 3 in the 15th over. At the time, Tanaka Chivanga had all three wickets, while Blessing Muzarabani and Hamilton Masakadza supported him by keeping it tight. Masakadza’s figures at that stage were 5-0-9-0 and Muzarabani’s were 5-4-5-0, having started with four maidens.Related

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The extra bounce on the pitch meant Muzarabani beat the bat several times early in the day, even as Chivanga struck thrice. The first breakthrough came in the sixth over when Tony de Zorzi edged to Brian Bennett at third slip for a 16-ball duck. The next wicket came when off the last ball of the 13th over, Mathew Breetzke also jabbed to Bennett at the same position. The appreciable bounce left Breetzke looking at his fingers as he walked back.The third wicket then fell in the 15th over when David Bedingham pushed hard at a length ball on the fifth stump and edged to first slip. That was when Pretorius began to hit back at Zimbabwe. Facing Masakadza in the next over, Pretorius launched him for six over long-off and then drove for four wide of mid-off. He ended the 18th over with another boundary, motoring along to 17 off his first 16 balls.Muzarabani continued to bowl tightly at the other end, but could only manage to keep the runs down. Like de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder also struggled to find rhythm, apart from driving Masakadza for four. But Mulder was run out in the 23rd over after a mix-up with Pretorius left him well short at the non-striker’s end; Muzarabani’s direct throw broke the stumps cleanly.At 55 for 4, it was down to the two debutants, Pretorius and Brevis, and they repaid South Africa’s faith. But Pretorius was living a charmed life. In the 25th over, Chivanga could have had his fourth when Pretorius, on 30, chased a ball outside off. There was a clear noise as the ball passed the bat, prompting a loud appeal for caught behind, but the umpire remained unmoved. The absence of DRS only added to Zimbabwe’s frustration.File photo – Tanaka Chivanga struck early on the first morning•Getty Images

Just after lunch, Pretorius reached his half-century off 53 balls, after which Brevis deposited Vincent Masekesa for six over midwicket and followed up with a straight four to end the 30th over. Chivanga, Muzarabani, and Masekesa managed to restore some control briefly.Masekesa trapped Pretorius plumb in front on 54 with a delivery that turned in and beat an attempted reverse sweep, but again, the umpire was unmoved. In the next over, on 55, Pretorius mistimed a pull off Chivanga, but the ball flew over the keeper’s head, his third lucky escape.Brevis, meanwhile, showcased his attacking instincts in the longest format. He smashed Masekesa for three sixes in the 36th over, bringing up his fifty in just 38 balls. However, in the next over, Muzarabani dismissed him for 51, as he toe-ended a pull to mid-off, ending a game-changing 95-run stand.Pretorius soon lost Kyle Verreynne, but continued to find boundaries regularly. He reached his century off 112 balls, hitting his third six with a beautiful punch over long-off off Bennett. Bosch, at the other end, played more calmly, focusing on rotating the strike. Their partnership crossed fifty as South Africa maintained a steady scoring rate, thanks largely to Pretorius.Pretorius’ final slice of luck came on 127, when he attempted a punch off Bennett and was beaten on the outside edge. Once again, there was a faint sound, but the umpire ruled in his favor. Eventually, he was dismissed after tea, in the 65th over, when Pretorius skied a pull off Chivanga to mid-on.That ended a dominant 108-run stand for the seventh wicket, but Bosch took over and frustrated Zimbabwe alongside the tail. He reached his fifty in the 71st over, flashing at a wide delivery from Muzarabani that flew over the slips for four. Keshav Maharaj supported him with a handy 21, including two sixes, in a 41-run stand, which ended when Masekesa stuck.With two wickets remaining and South Africa nearing 350, Bosch went on the offensive. From 61 off 91 balls, he accelerated to finish unbeaten on 100 off 124, hitting five boundaries in the process, including a drive, a pull, and a swat off consecutive deliveries from Masekesa. Codi Yusuf, also on debut, supported Bosch with 27, including five fours.Bosch was on 84 when Muzarabani dismissed Yusuf. At that point, South Africa had 389 runs on the board. In the company of last man Kwena Maphaka, Bosch not only reached his century in the final over of the day but also took South Africa past the 400-run mark.

In the lead-up to the first Test against India at Headingley, several adjectives were doing the rounds around the England camp. “Freak” and “beast” were among them, with the odd curse word thrown ahead of them for dramatic effect.It is rare that anything in an England training session elicits such a strong reaction. But two days out from the curtain raiser of this five-match series, Ben Stokes had bowled an 11-over spell.That volume of bowling so close to a Test match is unheard of, just two balls shy of the amount he had bowled against Zimbabwe a month earlier. Those sessions are generally about tapering into the grind of five days. Not for, say, going full tilt, at consistent pace and widening the eyes of those watching on.Related

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Stokes has always set the standard in training. Since the start of the year, following an operation on his second right hamstring tear in six months, he has also set himself new standards. Having put in the work behind the scenes, this was about getting overs back into his legs ahead of his second competitive match of 2025.The fruits of that intense labour were clear for all to see in Leeds. Stokes bowled 20 overs in the first innings, taking 4 for 66 across three spells of six, seven and seven. The 15 in the second innings – 1 for 47 – was split five, six and four.Throughout it all, he was England’s most threatening bowler. Across both sets of quicks, he produced the most swing, averaging 1.453 degrees, ahead of Chris Woakes (1.118), Brydon Carse (1.074), Mohammed Siraj (0.899), Jasprit Bumrah (0.895) and the rest. The average speed clocked in at 83.9mph, with a high of 88.9mph. All without even a hint of discomfort.”He was incredible,” said Chris Woakes, who managed just one wicket in 43 overs last week. “Without him having played a load of cricket leading into the Test match, for him to come in and do what he did and hit his straps at good pace… I thought he was amazing.””On a good pitch, he looked threatening every time he came on – with newer ball or older.”I think what you saw last week was he was incredibly consistent with what he was trying to do. His relentlessness and his energy on the ball was as good as I’ve seen for a long time. So that’s a good sign for us and for him.”Ben Stokes gets stuck into England training at Edgbaston•PA Photos/Getty Images

It was instructive that Woakes, as the leader of the attack, lauded the way Stokes took charge. “We all know what Stokes is capable of, but it’s great to have your leader being able to grab the ball like that and showing you the way sometimes.”This bowling iteration of Stokes has not been around for some time. Indeed, the man himself has sought reminders as to just how effective he was, and could be again.On the eve of the first Test, Stokes revealed he uses the 2020 Cape Town Test as a visual guide to the rhythm he wants to feel again. A late, three-wicket spell on the final day blew away South Africa’s tail to take England to victory. Stokes was flying off the back of a legend-making 2019, at the peak of his powers. That Test he averaged 86.4mph with the ball, with a few deliveries clocking in just over 91mph.None of that has been taken for granted, and the man himself sees no reason why he could not return to those heights. That he has opted out of The Hundred this season is a concession that, aged 34, he will have to park other forms of the game if he is to eke out what is left of himself as a top-tier Test quick.There is an alternate universe where Stokes was not pushed down the all-trades path and became a premier seam-and-swing bowler. Throughout his Durham Academy years, he was often the quickest in a cohort that included Mark Wood. There have even been a few Tests, such as 2017 at Lord’s against South Africa, when Stokes was the quicker of the two.Barring a useful growth spurt gave him that “hard-length trajectory”, Stokes’ craft has been honed through his own graft and experimentation, which has not dimmed.He picks up things quickly, such as the wobble seam that James Anderson taught him last year, even if he does not feel comfortable bringing it out just yet as it still feels weird in the hand. During the previous Test, he served up a couple of dipping slower balls to Rishabh Pant that he had workshopped in advance. The left-hander seemed suitably impressed, particularly with the first, which caught him by surprise, even if he did negotiate them well.A combination of England’s backroom staff have assisted his rebuilding effort: assistant coach Paul Collingwood and lead bowling coach Neil Killeen more involved with the skills, with Pete Sim (physical preperation coach) and Ben Davies (men’s physiotherapist) monitoring the physical side of things. But most of the grind has been lonesome, with Chester-le-Street as his usual base.Allowing that work to be both intense and regular has been the knee surgery Stokes underwent in November 2023. In turn, bad habits have been unpicked.Having played through the pain (unwisely at times), he developed two issues. One was that he could not really work on skills or new tricks because of the need to recover from match to match. The other was developing unwanted kinks due to having to overcompensate for the knee which, while putting strain on other parts of his body, also saw him lose a few strengths.The biggest strength he seems to have reclaimed is his braced front leg. Stokes used to take pride in it, often zooming in on side-shots of his action to show it off to the other quicks.That left leg began bending as the knee deteriorated and became ill-equipped to cope with 10-times Stokes’ bodyweight upon landing. As such, Stokes lost pace, which he tried to make up for with his run-up. Since the start of January 2022, only Kagiso Rabada (113) has bowled more front-foot no-balls than Stokes (82). It’s worth noting Rabada has bowled 184.2 more overs than Stokes during this period.Even pre-existing bad habits began to fester. After spells not bowling, Stokes has a knack of curving his approach to the crease, resulting in a conflict between his upper and lower body.He runs in, moves out towards cover, before jumping in the direction of fine leg. Nothing is aligned and the wrist not quite behind the ball. It usually takes a few sessions to sort that one, but when Stokes was unable to get them in the bank, he just had to deal with it. In turn, he lost the effectiveness of his late inswinger, a vital weapon in his armoury. He ended up developing a less effective one by leaping to the left and cantering his arm to try and bend the ball back in.Ben Stokes claimed 5 for 113 at Headingley•Getty Images

All of these now seem like yesterday’s problems. For the first time in five years, Stokes has started a series on solid foundations.”I can’t remember the last time I was able to work so hard on just technical stuff of bowling in particular,” Stokes said before the series, citing the fact the last few years have been mainly spent on keeping his loads up rather than fine-tuning. “To be able to do some really, really good technical work and getting myself back to sort of where I feel like I was before I had my injuries is really good, because there was naturally quite a few changes that crept into my action.”Alongside a “new” knee and reinforced hamstring has been a hyperdrive with his conditioning. Stokes is never one to do things by halves and this is the latest focus of his addictive personality.When he got into golf, he invested in the best clubs. His gaming obsession led to a set-up to rival those of professional eSport teams. Even cutting down on his alcohol consumption led him to investing in a company that specialises in alcohol-free drinks.Now, fitness is the new obsession. Beyond the tell-tale signs of such a fad – the Whoop watch, monitoring his steps, the Instagram reels of gym sessions replete with unenthusiastic voiceovers – has been a striking streamlining of his physique, reducing the strain on joints and improving suppleness.”You can see the physical state he’s in, he’s in really good condition,” Woakes said. “The injuries that he’s had, he’s probably just doubled down on his fitness to make sure he is in the best shape possible to be able to lead this team at his best.”

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That, ultimately, is what drives Stokes. Not explicitly the desire to be the best bowler he can be, or the fittest he can be, but being the best possible leader for his team.There is plenty at stake in this critical period of his Test captaincy, with the challenge of India and Australia ticked off by next January. Stokes’ availability throughout it all is integral to England’s hopes across both challenges as an allrounder to help balance an XI and provide for a bowling attack that requires his gumption as much as his guidance.Ahead of this week at Edgbaston, it is worth recalling England’s victory over India here back in 2018. Then, Stokes was the quickest bowler in both innings, eventually finishing the match with a spell not unlike his South Africa blitz two years later, taking 3 for 15 in 4.2 overs.That is the next frontier for Stokes, the bowler, to reclaim. Headingley showed the skills and durability remain. Rediscovering the fire and fury of old will take a little longer.

The IPL franchises can retain up to six players each for the 2025 season, the right-to-match (RTM) option is back for the mega auction, and the Impact Player rule will remain in place till the 2027 season. That aside, the auction purse has been increased by INR 20 crore and is now INR 120 crore (US$ 14.3 million approx.). These were among the most significant decisions announced by the IPL governing council on Saturday.Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players via a combination of retention and the RTM option. “It is at the discretion of the IPL franchise to choose their combination for retentions and RTMs,” the IPL release said. “The six retentions/RTMs can have a maximum of five capped players (Indian and overseas) and a maximum of two uncapped [Indians] players.”

Retention slabs for IPL 2025

In case a franchise wants to retain five capped players, the following amounts will be deducted from the purse:

• For the first three retentions: INR 18 crore, INR 14 crore, and INR 11 crore
• For the next two: INR 18 crore and INR 14 croreAs for the uncapped players, the IPL has stuck with INR 4 crore, as was the case in the 2021 mega auction. This means a franchise retaining five capped players and one uncapped before the auction will lose INR 79 crore from the overall purse of INR 120 crore, and will go into the auction with just INR 41 crore. If a franchise retains four capped and two uncapped players, it will lose INR 69 crore from its purse.The total salary cap will now consist of the auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees. In 2024, the total salary cap (auction purse + incremental performance pay) was INR 110 crore. It will be INR 146 crore in 2025, INR 151 crore in 2026, and INR 157 crore in 2027.
  

  Impact Player not going away

  Despite objections from franchises and concerns from high-profile players such as Rohit Sharma that the Impact Player rule could be detrimental to the development of allrounders, the IPL has decided to retain it for the next three seasons, up to 2027.Related

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  Since its introduction in the 2023 season, the rule has stirred wide debate over whether it is indeed beneficial to Indian cricket, which was the original motive, or whether it could be hurting the development of allrounders. That was one of the points the IPL discussed with the franchises during a meeting on July 31, which was attended by several team owners and team principals. While there was no unanimous nod to the rule, the majority was in favour of it being retained.Nine of the ten highest totals in IPL history have been recorded since the Impact Player rule, which allows a team to sub out a first-XI player and field a specialist batter or bowler depending on the match situation. The IPL believes the rule has enhanced the product by creating spectacles and is good from the spectators’ point of view, too.

  RTM card – final bidder to get extra opportunity

  The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. It was previously used in the 2017 mega auction but was discarded ahead of the 2022 mega auction.The IPL has decided to reintroduce it after at least three franchises argued in its favour. It is understood that the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad said they wanted seven to eight RTMs. However, players have generally not been in favour of the RTM option because they feel they don’t get the fair price as a result.To advance the cause of the players, the IPL has now modified the rule. It now reads: “The highest bidder will be given one final opportunity to raise their bid for a player before the team holding the RTM card can exercise their right. For example, if Team 1 holds the RTM for Player X and Team 2 has placed the highest bid of INR 6 crore, then Team 1 will be first asked if they will exercise RTM, if Team 1 agrees, then Team 2 will have the chance to increase their bid. If Team 2 raises their bid to INR 9 crore, then Team 1 can use the RTM and acquire Player X for INR 9 crore. If Team 2 chooses not to raise the bid and keeps it at INR 6 crore, Team 1 can use the RTM and get Player X for INR 6 crore.”

  Injury replacements and player loans

  Till IPL 2024, franchises had to seek a replacement for an injured player their seventh match of the season. From IPL 2025, teams can seek replacements till up to the 12th match in the league phase.The IPL has also decided to “reinstate” the player loan process, which can only be activated during the season. However, the rule has never been used to date.

  Rule change allows CSK to retain ‘uncapped’ Dhoni

  During a broader discussion on uncapped players, the IPL informed the franchises that it was reviving the rule it had started in 2008 but scrapped in 2021 – that of allowing Indian players who had retired from international cricket at least five years before the relevant season to go into the auction as uncapped players.”A capped Indian player will become uncapped if he has, in the five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant season is held, not played in the starting XI in international cricket and does not have a central contract with BCCI,” the release said. “This will be applicable for Indian players only.”This gives Chennai Super Kings the option of retaining their former captain MS Dhoni, whose last international match was at the 2019 ODI World Cup, as an uncapped player. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, CSK had retained Dhoni as their second player for INR 12 crore. If they are to retain him now as an uncapped player, they can do so with INR 4 crore.

India fast bowler Mohammed Shami wants to ensure that he is fully fit before he returns to international cricket.Shami, 34, last played in the 2023 ODI World Cup final and has since been sidelined by an ankle injury for which he underwent surgery earlier this year. (I am working hard to make a comeback soon because I know I have been out of action for quite some time),” Shami said at the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) annual awards ceremony. “However, I want to ensure there is no discomfort when I return. I’ve to work on my fitness, so that there is no discomfort.”Related

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• Shami in Bengal's probables list for 2024-25 domestic season

“The stronger I return, the better it is for me. I don’t want to rush and risk getting injured again, be it against Bangladesh, New Zealand or the Australia series. I’ve already started bowling, but I won’t take any chances until I am 100% fit.”PTI had reported last month that Shami, who is undergoing rehabilitation, is likely to make a comeback to competitive cricket for his domestic side Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, and a potential international appearance later in one of the Test matches against New Zealand.It is understood that Shami will play either one or two of Bengal’s Ranji Trophy matches against UP (October 11) and Bihar (October 18).Shami also hinted at the possibility of playing domestic cricket before making his international return.”If I need to play domestic cricket to test my fitness, I will,” Shami said. “What matters most is that I am fully ready for whatever comes next, regardless of the opposition or format.”Shami is expected to be a key figure in India’s preparations for the upcoming five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.”Favourites (We are the favourites, they should be worried),” Shami said.

An inspired bowling performance by Birmingham Phoenix flipped the formbook against Welsh Fire to keep the Phoenix squarely in the mix as The Hundred reaches the business end.Marshalling her attack superbly to defend a modest 121, Phoenix skipper Ellyse Perry was once again the catalyst, claiming wickets in successive balls to remove Sophie Dunkley and Sarah Bryce after Charis Pavely had early induced a thin edge from Tammy Beaumont.Those wickets checked the Fire’s progress but from 42 for 3 the overseas stars Hayley Matthews and Jess Jonassen got together to repair the innings. They put on 46 together, with Jonassen playing beautifully down the ground, check-driving what would turn out to be the only six of the Fire’s innings.But with 34 needed from 27 balls, leg-spinner Hannah Baker scuttled a straight one past Jonassen’s attempted reverse sweep, and the squeeze was on.Fellow leggie Katie Levick, daring to give it some air, then encouraged the dangerous Georgia Elwiss to pick out deep mid-off, before returning for the penultimate set of five to claim the key scalp of Matthews for 35 (38), caught at extra cover looking to clear the infield.With 14 needed, a nerveless final set from Emily Arlott iced the match.Earlier in the piece, the Phoenix’s innings was held together by the Netherlands right-hander Sterre Kalis, who started circumspectly in cahoots with Sophie Devine before unfurling eight fours en route to her first half-century of the tournament.Although Matthews’s off-breaks – 3 for 32 from her full quota – kept the Phoenix middle-order in check, their total on a turning pitch was just good enough, ensuring that the Phoenix are alive and kicking going into the tournament’s final week.Kalis, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “Obviously we struggled a bit at the start on a used pitch and I probably let the bowlers bowl a bit too much to me, rather than getting out there with more intent, but I stuck around and finally got some away and felt alright!”I’m really happy with the opportunity to go in up top, it was something I really wanted this year and to get an opportunity is something I really appreciate.”Credit to Pez [Perry] early on and then the spinners. It wasn’t the highest total to defend, so the bowlers did an amazing job to restrict them. Two more games to go. A good win for us today and hopefully we can stay in the competition.”

A brutal cameo from Michael Jones helped Durham to a 22-run win against the Worcestershire Rapids in the Vitality Blast.Jones smashed 39 from 17 balls at the Seat Unique Riverside to help Durham to a big total of 190 for 5, with the Scottish international capitalising on a good platform set by Ollie Robinson who made 41.The visitors’ chase was led by an impressive 45 from Kashif Ali, but a good Durham bowling performance spearheaded by Ben Raine meant that the Rapids fell short.Durham are now in a good position to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2018, but the Rapids face an uphill challenge to qualify having lost their last six in the competition.Having won the toss, the hosts chose to bat and Graham Clark got the innings off to the perfect start as he carved one through the covers for four. Skipper Alex Lees then got the first six of the night when he smashed a Josh Cobb ball over the long-on boundary.The Rapids then fought back after a tough start with Lees and Clark departing for 22 and 24 respectively.Robinson and Colin Ackermann used the large dimensions at Chester-le-Street to their advantage, as the Rapids restricted the boundary count in the middle overs.Ackermann felt the run-scoring squeeze and Brett D’Oliveira was the beneficiary as the Durham man mistimed a slog sweep and was caught on the boundary for 19.Robinson started to tick and smashed a D’Oliveira ball for six as Durham passed 100, however the Rapids captain struck back as he bowled Ashton Turner for 20.Robinson then struck two sixes from a Brookes over but he went for one too many as he skied one to long-on for 41.That didn’t stop the hosts’ barrage as Jones smashed one out the ground and he then hit 24 from the final over to finish unbeaten on 39 and the hosts finished on 190 for 5.The visitors had a tough task to chase 191 and they struggled to get going initially, as they picked up just 10 runs from the first two overs.D’Oliveira then departed at the hands of Bas de Leede, who coaxed an edge from the Rapids skipper and Robinson was on hand to take the catch behind the stumps.Ali, who led his side to an impressive win at this ground in the County Championship earlier this week, looked to get his side going alongside Cobb and they started to make a dent into the target.Ali then smashed a Sowter ball down the ground for six and followed that with one into the stands.However, Raine picked up the key wicket of Ali for 45, with Durham’s top wicket taker bowling the impressive opener.Then the hosts got the dangerous Adam Hose for just seven, after he was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Ackermann off the bowling of Sowter.The experienced Cobb was then dropped on 25 by Sowter as the Rapids continued to live dangerously but the leg-spinner bounced back from the drop as he picked up the wicket of Brookes.Cobb then departed for 39 as he was bowled by Ben Dwarshuis, but Gareth Roderick hit a six over the legside boundary to give his side a chance however he fell to Raine for 18 to leave the visitors staring down the barrel of defeat.Late wickets from Dwarshuis, de Leede and Raine saw the hosts home comfortably, winning by 22 runs.