History with Mumbai, momentum with KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) came back to winning ways in style on Wednesday as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by seven wickets in a rain-curtailed Indian Premier League eliminator match. But now they face a stern test as they lock horns with Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 for a berth in the final.

Mumbai Indians come into the clash, having lost Qualifier 1 to Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) but will take heart from the fact that they have a 15-5 record against their opposition in IPL history. Even in this season, they had won both the group stage matches against Kolkata Knight Riders; the last with a second string side at the Eden Gardens.

Kolkata Knight Riders, however, will hold a bit of an advantage as they go into the crunch game on Friday as their tie against Sunrisers Hyderabad has boosted their morale and given them an indication of how the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch will behave.

While the loss against Rising Pune Supergiant was a one-off poor performance by Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders can actually use the situation to their benefit if they stick to a certain plan and play keeping the conditions in mind.

However, Kolkata Knight Riders need to bring some stability in their batting.

They let go of a top-two spot when they threw away their wickets while chasing a modest total against Mumbai Indians in their last group game.

They seemed to have hardly learned anything as they repeated the act against Sunrisers Hyderabad during their eliminator clash.

They have a solid bowling unit that has been delivering for quite some time now but against Mumbai Indians, the batsmen need to bring on their best and put up a decent total for the bowlers to defend.

Umesh Yadav, Trent Boult, and Nathan Coulter-Nile were extremely impressive on Wednesday and are expected to deliver yet another brilliant performance in the knockout tie.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians will have to approach the game in an extremely cautious manner. They can’t take KKR lightly despite their terrific record against them.

They might be tempted to make changes following the loss to Rising Pune Supergiant but it may not be a good idea.

Another area where Kolkata Knight Riders have been shoddy of late is their inability to finish off games. Even while chasing a paltry total of 48 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were three wickets down for just 12 runs at one stage. With the likes of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga in the side — all quality death over specialists — Mumbai Indians can cash in heavily if the KKR middle or lower order fails to score quick runs.

It should be a riveting encounter between the two sides, both of whom two-time champions.

Although Mumbai Indians won both their games against the Knights this season, the results could have easily gone the other way. In the first match, it was the individual brilliance of Nitish Rana that made the difference and in the second, KKR threw their wickets away.

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Cricket Australia announces Australia A squads for South Africa Tour

Usman Khawaja will captain Australia A's four-day team and Travis Head will lead the one-day side for a series of matches in South Africa in July and August. Glenn Maxwell, who scored his maiden Test century on the recent tour of India, will be vice-captain to Khawaja in the first-class games and will have the chance to push his case for retention in the Test side when Australia next play.

Moises Henriques was initially named in the one-day squad but the selectors later stated that the allrounder will continue his county stint with Surrey, instead of playing the tri-series.* CA said the selection panel had "considered both Henriques' experience along with future Australian tours in making this decision", and that a replacement player will be named in due course.

South Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has been chosen in both squads after a remarkable summer in which he broke the record for most dismissals in a Shield season, while also scoring nearly 600 Shield runs. Queensland all-rounder Jack Wildermuth has also been named in both squads, his first call-up for Australia A, while New South Wales batsman Daniel Hughes has the chance to debut for Australia A in the one-day format.

The selectors decided against choosing the experienced batsmen Ed Cowan and George Bailey, who were two of the top three Shield run scorers last summer, as well as Cameron White, who topped the Ryobi Cup run tally. However, national selector Trevor Hohns said that while some senior players had missed out, it would "certainly not detract from their chances of representing Australia in the future".

Also absent from the squads were the opener Marcus Harris, who had a prolific Shield season for Victoria and finished fourth on the run tally with 808 runs, and the spinner Jon Holland, whose 50 Shield wickets placed him second only to swing bowler Chadd Sayers on the competition list. Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson, both of whom toured India with the Test squad this year, were preferred as spin options in both formats.

"We have opted for a well-balanced squad featuring some experience blended with younger players, with an emphasis on building our depth for the future," Hohns said. "This is a great chance for these players to experience foreign conditions against quality international sides and really test their skills.

"With an upcoming Test Series in South Africa early next year it is also an opportunity to impress with their performances and put their names forward for consideration. Khawaja is a proven leader and has captained Australia A before, he will gel nicely with Glenn who recently had some captaincy experience in the IPL and we believe will respond well to this extra responsibility."

Australia A will play two four-day games against South Africa A from July 12 to 22, and then a one-day tri-series involving South Africa A and India A from July 26 to August 8.

Four-day squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Glenn Maxwell (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Chadd Sayers, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.

One-day squad Travis Head (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Sam Heazlett, Daniel Hughes, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.

Australia A tour of South Africa
Four-day matches
12-15 July: Australia A v South Africa A, Tukkies
19-22 July: Australia A v South Africa A, Senwes Park

One-day tri-series
26 July: Australia A v India A, Tukkies
30 July: Australia A v South Africa A, Groenkloof
1 August: Australia A v India A, Tukkies
5 August: Australia A v South Africa A, Tukkies
8 August: Tri-Series Final, Tukkies

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Dinesh Karthik replaces injured Pandey in Champions Trophy squad

India has included Dinesh Karthik in their Champions Trophy squad for the replacement for Manish Pandey, who has been ruled out with a left side strain. Pandey sustained the injury during a Kolkata Knight Riders practice session ahead of their IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Karthik has played 71 ODIs since his debut in 2004 - keeping wicket in 24 of them - scoring 1313 runs at 27.93. He was part of India's victorious 2013 Champions Trophy campaign and last played international cricket during the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

In recalling Karthik, the selectors have rewarded his excellent domestic form across formats. He scored 704 runs in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy at 54.15, with one hundred and five fifties, and was a vital cog in Tamil Nadu's run to a 50-overs title double, scoring a combined 854 runs at 85.40 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. In the IPL, Karthik was Gujarat Lions' second-highest run-getter with 361 at a strike rate of 139.38.


India squad for Champions Trophy 2017

Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.

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West Indies pick 16-year-old Qiana Joseph for World Cup

West Indies women's squad for the World Cup, which will be played in England in June-July, features four new faces, including 16-year-old fast bowler Qiana Joseph. The three other newcomers include 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Reniece Boyce, 23-year-old allrounder Akeira Peters and 25-year-old opening batsman Felicia Walters.

Chairman of the selection panel Courtney Browne said these four players caught the eye at the emerging women's players camp held last year. "The team is composed of a mixture of youth and experience," Browne said. "Performances in this year's Women's Regional Super50 Tournament along with the form of incumbent players over the last few international tours were taken into consideration.

"The panel felt all four [new] players bring a specific skill-set to the team. It should also be noted that all four players are products of our last training camp for emerging women's players held last year. We feel at this time that these players, although not as experienced, have shown improvement and can add value to our squad."

Allrounder Shanel Daley, who last played in November 2014, returned to the squad. Browne said of her selection: "Shanel's ability as a player has never been in question. She, however, had some injury issues over the last few years. Those issues are now under control and our medical personnel, as well as Oba Gulston, the physiotherapist for the women's team, will continue to monitor and manage her."

Allrounder Shaquana Quintyne missed out with an injury.

The Women's World Cup runs from June 24 to July 23. West Indies play their first match on June 26, against Australia in Taunton. They are one of eight teams in the tournament, alongside Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

West Indies women's squad: - Stafanie Taylor (capt.), Merissa Aguilleira, Reniece Boyce, Shamilia Connell, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Qiana Joseph, Kyshona Knight, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Shakera Selman, Felicia Walters.

Indian Squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2017

15-man India squad, for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, announced on Monday (May 8) - a day after the BCCI gave the all-clear to participate in the tournament.

Mohammed Shami, who hadn't played a One-Day International since the World Cup 2015 semifinal, was recalled to the 15-man Indian squad, for the Champions Trophy.

It was also the first time that standbys were named.

Rohit Sharma, the opening batsman, too, returns to the set-up after having been ruled out for four months in November last year due to a thigh injury. He has played all of Mumbai's games so far this season in the IPL after returning to competitive cricket in March.

While KL Rahul hasn't sufficiently recovered from his shoulder injury, Ravichandran Ashwin, the ace offspinner, who missed the ongoing IPL with a sports hernia injury, was named, along with Ravindra Jadeja, with the duo to share spin responsibilities.

Ashwin, who played a crucial role in helping India hoist the Champions Trophy in 2013, picking up eight scalps at an average of 22.62, was rested for the duration of the IPL - something that was confirmed by MSK Prasad. "Ashwin's selection was not a difficult decision. He's had rest, isn't out of form. We've been preparing him for the Champions Trophy" said MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors after the announcement.

One of the major talking points prior to the announcement was whether Ajinkya Rahane would retain his place in the set-up. The elegant batsman has been in average form in the ongoing IPL, evidenced by the fact that he has compiled just 248 runs at an average of 20.66. However, the Prasad-led selection panel showed their faith in the veteran batsman by naming him for England as the backup opener (Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan being the primary ones), along with Yuvraj Singh, whose one-day career was revived after being picked for the series against England in January.

Manish Pandey was also named in the 15-member squad. The enterprising batsman hasn't played for the national side in the 50-over format since the series against New Zealand in October last year despite being selected for the subsequent ODI series against England.

MS Dhoni was the lone wicketkeeper named in the squad. When asked about the decision and concerns with his form, Prasad didn't stop short of lavishing praise on the former Indian skipper saying that the experienced campaigner has been a fine performer for India under pressure situations in the abridged versions of the game, also commending his glovework.

"We all believe that MSD is still the best wicketkeeper in the world," said Prasad. "Focussing on his batting form, he is an invaluable asset to the team when it comes to crunch situations. His inputs... and he has got one of the best brains. He is the best person to guide Virat. Not many people realise that in the last 10-12 years that MS has played, he has never had a bad day as far his gloves are concerned. We always treat him as a batsman but the phenomenal stuff that he does behind the wickets, not many people appreciate."

Rishabh Pant, the dashing wicketkeeper-batsman, was also considered for selection but missed out. The 19-year-old had plundered 972 runs at an average of 81 to go with an astonishing strike rate of 107 in the 2016-17 Ranji season.

"We are completely impressed with Rishabh Pant. But he missed out because of squad combination. We will groom him for the future," noted Prasad. The former wicketkeeper-batsman also pointed out that the selectors had pondered over whether to select Kuldeep Yadav, the slow left-arm unorthodox bowler, who he said "missed out narrowly".

The chinaman bowler took a four-wicket haul on his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala. He has also picked up nine wickets at an average of 31.22 in the IPL 2017.

In addition, apart from Pant and Kuldeep, the others who were considered and will be kept as stand-by options are Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and Shardul Thakur, for who visas are being sorted out. They will, in the meantime, train at the NCA in Bangalore.

Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami will form a formidable pace attack. The team, as Prasad stressed, had been picked on the basis of "performances in the last year or so and not just the IPL".

The Indian selectors went in with a tried and tested side, banking on the right mix of experience and youth, playing it safe with no surprise inclusions. Virat Kohli will lead the side that will kickstart their title defence against Pakistan on June 4 in Edgbaston.


Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit, Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami.