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Sharjeel Khan has appealed his five-year ban for spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year. His lawyer Shaigan Ijaz told media that the appeal had been filed, and he was confident of getting the decision overturned.”We have find an appeal against the decision with the board of governors,” Ijaz said. “The file will be transmitted to an independent adjudicator and proceedings will go on from there. We have contested all five charges. We believe the decision of the tribunal was based on speculation, and our cross examination of the PCB witnesses was not read properly. We believe our chances of overturning the decision are bright.”Hours after the announcement, PCB chairman Najam Sethi took to Twitter, announcing that the PCB would also appeal the decision, believing the sentence handed to Sharjeel to be too lenient. “PCB has appealed the sentence imposed on Sharjeel by the tribunal and is seeking a stiffer sentence,” tweeted Sethi. An independent adjudicator to hear the appeal has to be nominated within a fortnight of any appeal being lodged.Sharjeel Khan was found guilty by a three-man tribunal of all five charges brought against him by the PCB, and had the minimum punishment – a five-year ban, half of which was suspended – handed down to him. The charges relate to spot-fixing allegedly committed by the player during the opening game of the Pakistan Super League earlier this year, where he stands accused of pre-arranging with a bookie to play two dot balls. He potentially faces a life ban.

1:38

Maharoof: Disappointed by Gunathilaka and Mendis dismissals

Swing, seam, pace and bounce. Dip, drift, turn and bounce. Ingredients that seemed largely absent when India piled on 600, their second-highest total in Sri Lanka, haunted the home side in their reply, as they ended the second day of the Galle Test five down with the follow-on mark still 247 runs away.Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami took the top order apart, even as Upul Tharanga hurtled along with a profusion of silken off-side boundaries. Then came R Ashwin, going around the wicket to left and right-handers alike, harnessing the sea breeze and testing both edges with drift, swinging arm balls, and the occasional instance of sharp turn. Over the course of an unbroken spell of 18 overs, he gradually discovered the ideal pace and angle of seam to extract the maximum possible help from the Galle pitch, and could have easily ended the day with more than one wicket.Umesh gave India their first breakthrough, in the second over of Sri Lanka’s innings. Swing did Dimuth Karunaratne in, a full ball curling back into the left-hander from over the wicket and forcing him to play around his front pad. He missed and reviewed Bruce Oxenford’s lbw decision, a wasted referral given there was no inside edge, and that the ball had pitched on middle stump and had straightened down that line.R Ashwin got drift and dip to be a constant threat•AFP

For a time, Danushka Gunathilaka, making his Test debut, matched Tharanga shot for shot, as the two left-handers drove repeatedly on the up during a second-wicket partnership of 61 at just under five an over. But he played one shot too many, feet rooted to the crease as he flashed at, and edged, a Shami delivery angled across him.Kusal Mendis, in at No. 4, had the misfortune of getting a Shami special when he was still to get off the mark. It hit the seam in the corridor, seamed away slightly with some extra bounce, and all he could do was nick it. Two times in five balls, Shikhar Dhawan was the catcher at first slip.The next two wickets fell during Ashwin’s long and endlessly tormenting spell. The first began with his drift and dip beating Tharanga in the air. Having jumped out of his crease and inside-edged into his pad, he turned and hurried back as the ball rolled towards Abhinav Mukund at silly point. Abhinav flicked the ball to the keeper, and when the bails came off, Tharanga’s bat, after a momentary grounding on the dive, had bounced up. A cruel end to an innings of 64 and a 57-run fourth-wicket stand with Mathews.Then came the wicket of another left-hander, Niroshan Dickwella, who pressed forward but found himself nowhere near the pitch of the ball, thanks to Ashwin’s dip. Extra bounce grabbed the shoulder of his jabbing defensive bat, and Mukund, diving right at silly point, took a superb, low one-hander.Mathews struggled initially against Ashwin, and on 32 survived an lbw decision reviewed by India when ball-tracking returned an umpire’s call verdict. He slowly grew in assurance, and ended the day batting on 54 with Dilruwan Perera for company. With Asela Gunaratne, who fractured his left thumb on the first day, unlikely to bat, Sri Lanka have quite a task ahead of them.An improved bowling display from Sri Lanka, led by Nuwan Pradeep, who finished with 6 for 132, threatened at various points to limit India’s total. But the lower order, led by Ashwin and the debutant Hardik Pandya, kept counter-punching.India lost both their overnight batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, inside 12 overs of the morning, both out to seam. Away-seam and extra bounce from Nuwan Pradeep found Pujara’s edge on 153, while Rahane, driving away from his body at a rare full ball from Lahiru Kumara, edged to slip.Despite the selection of Pandya, India stuck with Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha at Nos. 6 and 7, trusting their experience and proven firefighting abilities ahead of the debutant’s promise. Ashwin and Saha had put on three fifty partnerships and one double-century stand, and averaged 47.50 as a pair since the start of 2016. They combined once again to stall Sri Lanka’s momentum, adding 59 for the sixth wicket.Not for the first time in his career, Ashwin began finding the gaps almost as soon as he walked in, and took three fours from successive Herath overs, twice driving him through the off side and once stepping out to clip him between midwicket and mid-on. In all, he would hit seven fours in a 60-ball 47.Both fell in the space of six balls, with lunch imminent, and when Pradeep took his sixth wicket after the break, cleaning up Ravindra Jadeja with the bouncer-yorker double, Sri Lanka may have hoped for a quick end to the innings.As it turned out, India’s last two wickets added 83 in 71 balls in a burst of six-hitting. The quicks leaked runs in an effort to pepper the lower order with the short ball, and Herath kept get hitting back over his head, notably by Mohammed Shami who hit him for three sixes. Pandya hit three sixes too, all off Pradeep, two hooked over backward square leg and one whipped over midwicket.The dismissal of Shami, caught on the square-leg boundary off Kumara, ended a ninth-wicket stand of 62, but Sri Lanka’s ordeal wasn’t yet over. Umesh Yadav, India’s No. 11, also joined in the hitting spree, taking Kumara for a big six down the ground and Herath for the lofted four that brought up India’s 600.Pandya, who had brought up his half-century, off 48 balls, in the same Herath over, fell soon after, finding deep square leg while going after another short ball from Kumara.

For Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka’s inability to dismiss Zimbabwe by the end of the first day, after having them 96 for 4 at lunch, was partly owed to a significant slowing of the R Premadasa Stadium pitch. Gurusinha, the team’s cricket manager, suggested the slow bowlers’ menace dived substantially after the first break.”The feedback I got from the players was that there was moisture in the morning, so the track did turn a bit, and the ball did a little bit,” Gurusinha said. “After lunch it settled down so much, and even now, when I spoke to them, they said the ball comes slow off the wicket, and doesn’t do anything. It’s more like an old Premadasa wicket.”Zimbabwe scored 117 for the loss of two batsmen in the afternoon session, and 132 for the loss of a further two wickets in the evening. The run rate across both those sessions was four, and the unbeaten ninth-wicket partnership was especially brisk, with 62 runs coming off 97 deliveries.”We did bowl some loose stuff,” Gurusinha said. “We were lucky to have Rangana Herath there, but even to him they had time to get on the back foot and pull him, because it wasn’t coming on at the pace we were expecting. Our discussion at lunch was that we had done well in that first session to take four.”In the second session, we actually discussed that this was a tough session, because the wicket was settling down, and we’ve got to contain as well. To me Zimbabwe got off easy a little in that session. They got some runs, as well as us getting wickets.”Gurusinha put the seamers’ inability to take more than one wicket between them in the day down to conditions, with little seam or bounce on offer. Among the other disappointments for Sri Lanka was the bowling of Dilruwan Perera, the offspinner. He took the wicket of Sean Williams in the morning, but rarely threatened in the second and third sessions, and finished with 1 for 86.”Dilruwan I don’t think he was his normal self, and that might be because he hasn’t played matches recently,” Gurusinha said. “I’m hoping by the second innings he will get that loop we’re used to seeing, and build that partnership.”We also expected a little more bounce than this. That bounce is not that good. It’s a bit low bounce. As soon as that happens, the spinners will also struggle. People like Rangana and Dilruwan will do well if there was a little bit of bounce on the wicket as a spinner, but we’ve got to work hard on these tracks and do well.”Gurusinha said Sri Lanka would also have batted if they had won the toss. Zimbabwe bat deep in this match. Their recognised batsmen go down to No. 8, but even their No. 10 batsman – Donald Tiripano – has a first-class hundred. When it comes time for Sri Lanka to bat, the hosts will also hope their long lineup pays off.”The way the track is playing, I’m expecting our batsmen also to put their heads down and bat long,” Gurusinha said. “Especially in the last session today you saw there were no demons on the wicket. It was easy to play shots and even their no. 10 was batting well. That showed there was enough time to play the shots. The batsmen will have to play their shots and play normal cricket. But the first thing is to get those last two wickets in the first hour or half hour tomorrow.”Meanwhile, Craig Ervine agreed with Gurusinha that the pitch became easier to bat on, but was unsatisfied by the absence of a big score from his teammates. After Ervine’s 151, the highest score for Zimbabwe was 36, by Sikander Raza and Malcolm Waller. Zimbabwe’s No. 10 Donald Tiripano is still unbeaten on 24, however.”It was disappointing to have only one fifty-plus score,” Ervine said. “Guys did get in, but gave couple of wickets away. That’s the way it goes and we put that behind us and come back tomorrow. Donald can bat and he can stick around. I have lot of faith in him.”Ervine described his five-and-a-half hour stay at the crease as exhausting, thanks to Colombo’s heat and humidity. However, his work was made easier by a flattening surface. “At the start, the wicket was little bit damp. But once it dried out, it’s nice wicket to bat on. We wanted a good rate throughout the day.”

ScorecardOn the day of the summer solstice, the reigning county champions have their first victory of summer. Yorkshire were not defeated so much as eviscerated and did not even have the small solace of an early return home, thanks to a sponsors’ dinner.For Middlesex this was vindication for the depth of their squad. The club has taken great delight in this week’s inclusion, for England Lions or the senior team, of Nick Gubbins, Dawid Malan and Tom Helm. Thrashing Yorkshire while short of these players is testament to their sturdiness. And it hinted at a growing trend: how leading Division One counties are stockpiling talent in a manner reminiscent of Premier League football clubs.Middlesex’s second-choice bowling attack when everyone is available – Helm or Murtagh, James Harris, James Fuller and Harry Podmore, alongside the left-arm spinner Ravi Patel – is formidable. Their batting depth is equally impressive: this victory was secured in spite of three of their normal top five being absent – Adam Voges as well as Gubbins and Malan – not even mentioning Eoin Morgan, who seems unlikely to ever play first-class cricket again for the county.Max Holden, a 19-year-old opener on loan at Northants, scored a high-class Championship century at Chester-le-Street earlier this month too. So it is no exaggeration to say that, at full strength, Middlesex’s second-choice XI would be better than many – perhaps even most – Division Two counties.Two months ago, Middlesex were denied a victory against Essex at Lord’s by a combination of a cautious decision not to enforce the follow-on and fourth-day showers. James Franklin considered it a “no-brainer” to decide differently after Steve Finn’s 500th first-class wicket secured a 238-run first-innings lead. There was the threat of showers on the final day; there was also a palpable sense of uncertainty in Yorkshire’s batting line-up to exploit.And there was, in Tim Murtagh, a bowler just shy of 250 wickets at the ground. The unthreatening shuffle in was familiar; so was pace of the sort that would seldom alarm a motorway speed camera. But so was the late wobble, the relentless harassing of the off stump and unerring accuracy. Murtagh’s exemplary opening spell amounted to 2 for 2 in six overs, accounting for Adam Lyth to a ball angled across him, and then Harry Brook, who reacted to the worst ball Murtagh bowled by slashing it behind. And when Toby Roland-Jones promptly dismissed Alex Lees prodding to second slip, Yorkshire were suddenly 16 for 3.Brook’s dismissal meant that, 37 minutes after he walked off 69 not out at the termination of Yorkshire’s first innings, Gary Ballance returned to bat in their second. Ballance vigils have been the cornerstone of Yorkshire’s season; this time, though, he had only been at the crease an hour before feathering the second ball after lunch, a sharp delivery from Roland-Jones, which angled across him and kept low, behind. And, with that, Ballance’s Championship average in 2017 plunged to a mere 101.87. As stupendous as the figure is, it does not reflect well on Yorkshire’s team-mates that Ballance has contributed 24.6% of the team’s runs this season.In the last round at Taunton, Ballance’s team-mates supplied only two half-centuries in the match between them. Here, they did not contribute a single one – and nor, after Peter Handscomb succumbed cutting Finn to Nick Compton at point, did they really threaten to. Ollie Rayner whisked in with four wickets, aided by some distinctly obliging batting, and the victory was sealed a little after tea, when Ryan Sidebottom bottom-edged an attempted reverse sweep onto his toe to short leg. Somehow, it rather summed Yorkshire’s limp batting display up.”To be bowled out twice like we have is poor,” said Andrew Gale, Yorkshire’s coach. “We had a long chat and some strong words about the batting at Taunton and some more strong words in this game. We expect a response.”We changed things up slightly by leaving Jack Leaning out, and there’s lads in the second team banging on the door. We’ll have to see where that takes us.” Selecting Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the new recruit from Worcestershire, is an increasingly attractive option.Franklin could reflect not only on a terrific team display but also on more assistance from a Lord’s wicket that has not always been Middlesex’s friend.”There’s been a conscious decision to leave more grass on it. Visually it looks different,” he said. “After day one, Sam came in after scoring 150 not out and said it was a tricky wicket, and all the boys laughed at him. He was right. When bowlers got it in the right areas it was a tough wicket to bat on. Our bowlers asked serious questions of their batsmen.”And so, while Middlesex’s wickets in the game were shared among six bowlers, none of whom claimed more than five wickets, Yorkshire were inordinately dependent on just two batsmen – Ballance and Handscomb – to make their runs.The return of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow next week, as well as probably Tim Bresnan, will provide a welcome palliative. But without substantive improvements in the top order – above all Lyth and Alex Lees, who are averaging only 26.13 between them in the Championship – Yorkshire’s problems threaten to be reoccurring, especially if Ballance’s gluttony is rewarded by an England recall.

Umar Akmal’s poor fitness has opened the door for Haris Sohail’s return to the Pakistan squad, in the Champions Trophy. The left-hand batsman last played for Pakistan in May 2015, scoring an unbeaten 52 in the side’s win over Zimbabwe in Lahore. He is expected to join the squad before Pakistan’s warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday.Sohail was among three batsmen, alongside Umar Amin and Asif Zakir, who were assessed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) following Umar’s failed fitness tests in England. Based on reports submitted by the NCA trainer, PCB’s selection committee, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, picked Sohail to join Pakistan’s squad for the tournament that begins on June 1.Sohail had picked up a knee injury while sprinting ahead of the second Test at P Sara Oval in Colombo in 2015. That forced Sohail to undergo an extensive rehabilitation program thereafter at NCA and had a surgery in Dubai which reportedly went unsuccessful pushing his career into doubts. The PCB took over his case and sent him to England for yet another rehabilitation program thus allowing him to make a comeback.”I worked really hard for my comeback after battling with the injury for long,” Sohail said. “I have kept myself prepared…as a sportsman my aim is to perform and when I got dropped earlier it because of my injury and not because of my performance. So I am sure selectors have taken that into account while shortlisting my name. So all the hard work i have done is paying off.”

Pakistan squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Fahim Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan
In: Haris Sohail
Out: Umar Akmal

The selection marks a welcome return for Sohail, who had started his ODI career brightly. In just his fourth international innings, Sohail had scored an unbeaten 85 to steer Pakistan home in a tense finish against New Zealand in Dubai. His consistency was perhaps the most eye-catching feature about his batting; in 21 ODI innings, he failed to reach double figures on just four occasions, averaging 43 at a strike-rate of 82.86. However, a serious knee injury derailed his career, and there were even concerns that he might have to give up the game.For Sohail, the call-up after two years almost felt like he was receiving his “debut call-up”. He said: “When I got unfit, it was such a situation where I was in top form, runs were flowing, but falling unfit then was disappointing. I hope all my effort and struggle over the years pay off this time.”Sohail has been prolific in List A cricket recently, having scored two fifties and a century in his last five games. Sohail’s left-arm spin might have also helped his cause for selection at a time when Pakistan’s lack of a proper allrounder is conspicuous.

Match facts

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Delhi Daredevils
Bengaluru, April 8, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)
3:11

Agarkar: A big test for Zaheer Khan

Head to head

Overall: Royal Challengers Bangalore lead Delhi Daredevils 10-6. Since 2011, Royal Challengers have only lost once to Daredevils in ten games.

In the news

Neither side will be able to field their first XI. Daredevils, slightly bowling-heavy and led by Zaheer Khan, are without JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock for the season. Angelo Mathews, who has been sidelined since January with a hamstring injury, remains uncertain after he missed the limited-overs matches against Bangladesh. Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, will miss the first match and is in doubt for the second after a bout of chickenpox. He will join the team in three-four daysRishabh Pant’s availability for the first game is also in doubt following the demise of his father, although Pant returned to Bengaluru and trained with the team. In the instance that Pant does not play, Aditya Tare could take over wicket-keeping duties. Kagiso Rabada looks set to make his IPL debut while the allrounder’s spot could see a toss-up between Carlos Brathwaite and Corey Anderson. On Friday, Daredevils announced Australian fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus as a replacement for JP Duminy.AB de Villiers is doubtful for Royal Challengers’ first home game of the season but a call on his selection will be taken by the franchise after their training session on Saturday, leaving Shane Watson to lead the side again. De Villiers has confirmed that he will not keep wicket in the IPL, which means Kedar Jadhav could retain the gloves. Royal Challengers will have another wicket-keeping option in Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Vishnu Vinod, who will replace the injured KL Rahul. Virat Kohli, who has said he will play only if he feels “120%”, will miss the match, too.

The likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Mandeep Singh, 3 Travis Head, 4 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 5 Shane Watson (capt), 6 Sachin Baby, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 S Aravind, 9 Tymal Mills, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal , 11 Aniket ChoudharyDelhi Daredevils: 1 Sam Billings, 2 Sanju Samson, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Corey Anderson/Carlos Brathwaite, 5 Rishabh Pant/Aditya Tare (wk), 6 Chris Morris, 7 Shahbaz Nadeem, 8 Mohammed Shami, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Zaheer Khan (capt), 11 Kagiso Rabada

Stats that matter

• The team batting second has won 31 off 58 matches in Bengaluru. Daredevils prefer to chase: 38 of their 56 wins in the IPL have come batting second.
• Chris Gayle has scored 327 runs off 209 balls against Daredevils. He has never been dismissed by a Daredevils spinner, and has struck 15 boundaries – including nine sixes – off the 56 balls faced against them.
• Zaheer Khan has taken 26 wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His economy of 6.67 in the Powerplay last year was the fourth-best in IPL 2016.
• Royal Challengers have an economy rate of 7.35 runs per over in the Powerplay overall in the IPL. In matches against Daredevils in Bengaluru, Royal Challengers have conceded at a rate of 8.92 runs per over in the Powerplay.
• A top-heavy Daredevils team scores at 8.88 runs per over in the last five overs. Against Royal Challengers in Bengaluru, the rate jumps to 9.71 and Daredevils have lost only four wickets in seven matches during that period.
• Amit Mishra has been wicketless in his last four IPL games against Royal Challengers at an economy of 9.69. He has not taken a wicket for Daredevils in his previous three matches. Overall, in the IPL, he has dismissed Royal Challengers opener Mandeep Singh and Watson twice.
• Ankit Bawne, who may find a spot in the XI, scored 239 runs at an average of 79.66, including three fifties, in the domestic T20 tournament this season. Aditya Tare, too, had scores 79 and 71* in the tournament.
• Shane Watson has averaged less than 20 with the bat in IPL 2016 and Big Bash League 2016-17. In the recent Pakistan Super League, Watson averaged 21.37 in nine innings. In his last 30 games in the IPL, BBL and PSL, Watson has scored only one fifty. In his last two IPL matches with the ball, Watson has returned figures of 0 for 102 in seven overs.

ScorecardFile photo – Luke Feldman picked up three of Tasmania’s first six wickets•Getty Images

Queensland’s strong seam attack bowled out Tasmania for 150 before the Bulls pushed to within 19 of the Tigers’ total on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Peter George, Luke Feldman, Cameron Gannon and Jack Wildermuth shared the wickets between them after the acting captain Joe Burns won the toss and sent the last-placed Tigers in to bat. The Bulls need to win this match to keep pace with the Bushrangers and the Redbacks at the top of the Shield table.Tasmania slipped as low as 6 for 61 as the new Dukes ball darted about a well-grassed surface, before Tim Paine and the former Bulls allrounder Simon Milenko mounted a minor rearguard action, adding 68 for the seventh wicket. Even so, the visitors were delighted to roll the hosts for 150 and be batting well before the tea break.Peter Forrest was out for a duck at the start of Queensland’s reply, but Burns was able to lead his side into more comfortable territory. Marnus Labuschagne offered useful support, and he will resume in the company of Sam Heazlett on the second morning.

Men’s cricket could return to the Commonwealth Games in 2026 if Birmingham wins the bid to be the host city.While women’s cricket will feature in the 2022 Games in Durban, men’s cricket has appeared only once. On that occasion, in Malaysia in 1998, the format was 50 overs per side (South Africa defeated Australia in the final). This time it would be played in the T20 format.Cricket is not currently one of the mandatory events incorporated into the Commonwealth Games but is on the list of optional sports that host cities have the power to add to their staging of the event as they see fit and with the support of the relevant sport’s governing body.While that cannot be guaranteed at this stage, the ICC agreed to the inclusion of women’s cricket in 2022 and is already working with the Commonwealth Games Federation on the successful staging of the event. The ICC is understood to be open to dialogue over the 2026 Games.Neil Snowball, the Warwickshire chief executive, is part of Birmingham’s bid team and has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that cricket would be of interest if they are successful. Snowball was previously head of sports operations at the 2012 Olympics and chief operating officer of Rugby 2015, the organising committee behind the 2015 World Cup.The plan would be to stage the biggest games at Warwickshire’s home ground of Edgbaston, which is only a mile or so from the centre of Birmingham. Other games could be played at Warwickshire’s Portland Road ground (three miles from Edgbaston) and, perhaps, in neighbouring counties; Worcestershire’s picturesque New Road ground is only 33 miles away.Birmingham would also require ECB approval. But Andrew Strauss, the director of the England team, suggested the idea had his backing, though he did offer a note of caution. “Yes, I would be very supportive of that,” he said. “But it would not just be the ECB involved in such a decision.”That signals a change of heart from the ECB. The Commonwealth Games Federation invited the ICC to participate in the 2018 Games (to be staged in Gold Coast, Australia), but were rebuffed largely on the basis of the reluctance of individual boards – not least the ECB – to compromise their own lucrative schedules.Sixteen teams entered the 1998 Commonwealth Games, but England did not send a team as the competition clashed with the end of the domestic season. Seven of the then nine Test teams did, however, with Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and New Zealand among them. Scotland, Northern Ireland, Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, Canada, Malaysia, Kenya and Zimbabwe were the other participants.The current ECB management are more aware of the need to reengage the sport with a broader audience, however, and keen to spread the appeal of cricket both locally and globally.The example of Rugby Sevens is intriguing. After featuring in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the sport eventually progressed until it debuted in the 2016 Olympics. While many obstacles remain before cricket could be realistically considered for the Olympics, the ECB’s change of heart would appear to have removed a substantial one and nudged the sport a little further in that direction. Rome had signalled a desire to host cricket at the 2024 Olympics, but has withdrawn from the bidding process.What stance India will take on the issue remains unclear. Anurag Thakur, the recently jettisoned president of the BCCI, had been seen as an impediment to cricket’s reintroduction into the Olympics (it was played in the 1900 Paris Olympics; Great Britain beat France in the only match) but is also a vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association and was recently elected as the Himachal Olympic Association president.Other cities expected to bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games include Liverpool, Edmonton in Canada and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. A decision on whether Liverpool or Birmingham will be put forward as England’s candidate will be made later this year. A final decision on the host venue is unlikely to be made before November 2019.

Reeza Hendricks did the job with bat and ball for Lions, in their opening Momentum Cup game against Warriors, setting up a 44-run win at the Wanderers.Hendricks first scored 101 off 104 in a 178-run opening stand with Stephan Cook to lay the platform for Lions’ 329-run total, before striking twice in an over with his part-time medium pace to rock the chase.Lions were put in to bat and Hendricks and Cook’s partnership ticked over at more than a run a ball before JJ Smuts – the most effective and economical of the Warriors bowlers with 2 for 51 – broke through. A cluster of rapid cameos followed from the middle order to carry Lions well past the 300-run mark.After losing Smuts early, Warriors seemed to have got back on track through a 122-run second-wicket stand between Gihahn Cloete and Colin Ingram. Then Hendricks took the pair out in the space of five balls, and Warriors’ challenge was quickly flagging. No one else could get to fifty for Warriors, though several in the middle order got starts, and eventually they fell well short, bowled out in exactly 50 overs for 285. Lions’ other Hendricks, new-ball bowler Beuran, also did his bit effectively, claiming 3 for 55 in his ten.

Once the undisputed leaders of the Associate world, Ireland arrive in the UAE for the Desert T20 challenge playing more like paupers than princes over the last two years in Twenty20 cricket. Entering the tournament as the lowest-seeded side in part due to their winless performance at the 2016 World T20, Ireland are hoping that a return to the site of some of their most memorable Associate triumphs will spark a return to form.”The UAE has always been a nice place for us,” Ireland left-arm spinner George Dockrell told ESPNcricinfo at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on the eve of their first match against Afghanistan. “We’ve won a lot of competitions out here and we’ve played so much cricket, which always helps that we do know the grounds, and we know the conditions and the cricket that’s played here.”Ireland lost their first match of the 2012 World T20 Qualifier to Namibia in Dubai before going on to win ten straight games – including four playoff matches in three days – on their way to the tournament title and a spot at the World T20 in Sri Lanka. They came back to the UAE the following year and went undefeated, beating Afghanistan in the final for the second time, to clinch another place at the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh.Those twin titles were part of a streak of 21 straight wins at the World T20 Qualifier that was finally undone by Papua New Guinea in Belfast in 2015. Since then Ireland have struggled in the format, with that loss to PNG beginning a run of eight losses in their last 11 T20Is.”As a team, we know that our performances haven’t been where they should be in the past,” Dockrell said. “That’s not something that’s going over our heads. We know that we’ve been underperforming in the past and it’s something that we’re trying to address and it’s not through a lack of effort from the guys.”In the search for answers, the squad has gone through a shake-up, one which Dockrell is acutely aware of. Despite being one of Ireland’s most experienced players, the 24-year-old was dropped ahead of their shock loss to Oman at the World T20 in India. In the eight home ODIs that Ireland had this summer against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he made the starting XI just once – offspinner Andy McBrine became coach John Bracewell’s preferred slow-bowling specialist – and was also left out for the home T20I series against Hong Kong.George Dockrell’s recent form has taken a dip, much like Ireland’s results, and he hopes to improve both•Getty Images/Sportsfile

Dockrell was picked for the ODI tour to South Africa in September, but went wicketless in the defeats to Australia and South Africa. He is back in the T20 squad for this tour, but faces competition from fellow spinners McBrine and Jacob Mulder, who made his debut in that Hong Kong match at Bready. Once an automatic selection, Dockrell has been working hard on his game to regain his status as Ireland’s first-choice spinner and says the competition within the squad is something that will hopefully bring out the best in everyone’s game.”It’s always good to have competition in the squad and in the team,” Dockrell said. “It’s good that we now have the option in the squad of having a left-arm spinner, a right-armer in Andy and Jacob as well, a legspinner. We didn’t have that depth a number of years ago. We have guys who are home, the likes of Peter Chase and Tim Murtagh, who aren’t playing but would be able to step in and do a great role if they were required.”You have to look at ways that maybe you’re deficient, or ways that you can get better to keep fighting for that spot in the team, so I think it’s definitely a good thing for Irish cricket that we’re developing that depth in the bowlers and in the batters too, so that we don’t just have a squad of 12 or 13 to pick from, that you know there’s seven other guys to pick from, whether there’s an injury or drop in form. It just pushes you on to keep improving.”After the conclusion of the ODI tour to South Africa in September, Dockrell travelled to Brisbane, where he has been playing club cricket in the local grade competition to keep himself sharp during the Irish winter. He also got the chance to train with Queensland’s first-class side and Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.”It’s been fantastic, having the opportunity to go over to Brisbane to play some club cricket and train with Queensland and Brisbane Heat,” Dockrell said. “Obviously Dan Vettori is the coach there as well so he’s a great guy to draw a bit of knowledge from and talk to about a few things. Even just being in that environment and bowling to the likes of Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum, it’s something that’s always going to make you better.”For now, though, Dockrell’s focus is on trying to help Ireland get back on the right track, beginning with Group A’s primetime showdown against Afghanistan on day one of the tournament in Abu Dhabi.”We’ll be playing Afghanistan in a couple of months, but other than that there won’t be a huge amount of T20 cricket until maybe the T20 Qualifiers, which have yet to be announced so for us it’s a great competition, a great chance to put things right where we’ve been deficient in the last couple years.””We played Afghanistan during the summer and it was four really contested games. It’ll be great cricket from both teams, so I suppose for this competition it’ll be great to start with a win and that’s what we’ll be thinking before we go into that game.”