Australia name Test squad for Pakistan tour
Cricket Australia named an 18-member Test squad, led by Pat Cummins, for the three-match Test series in Pakistan from 4 March. They included Josh Hazlewood, who returned to the side after missing the last four Ashes Test matches at home due to a side strain, and Ashton Agar as an additional slow-bowling option, along with Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson.
This will be Australia’s first series in Pakistani after 24 years, with crucial ICC World Test Championship points up for grabs.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steven Smith (vc), Alex Carey (wk), Josh Inglis (wk), David Warner, Cam Green, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson.
Kusal Mendis tests positive for Covid-19 ahead of Australia T20Is
Kusal Mendis has tested positive for Covid-19 in Australia ahead of the five-match T20I series. Mendis was found to be positive for Coronavirus during a routine Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) conducted on 7 February and confirmed by a RT-PCR test later in the day.
The Sri Lankan national team left for Australia on 3 February. Mendis is currently in isolation as per Covid-19 protocols.
The T20I series between the two sides will begin on 11 February at Sydney Cricket Ground.
ICC announce POTM nominations for January
The ICC announced the nominees for Players of the Month. The male nominations included Dewald Brevis and Keegan Petersen of South Africa and Ebadot Hossain of Bangladesh, and the female nominations were Heather Knight of England, Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka, and Deandra Dottin of the West Indies.
Brevis was impressive in the recently concluded ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022 in the Caribbean. He finished as the highest run-scorer of the tournament, with 506 runs at an average of 84.33. He also claimed seven wickets at 28.57.
Australia complete England humiliation with eight-wicket win in the third ODI
Annabel Sutherland’s career-best 4-31 helped Australia skittle England for 163 before Meg Lanning's 70-ball 57 not out took them through to an eight-wicket win in the final ODI of the multi-format Ashes 2022/23 in Melbourne. Lanning got support from Alyssa Healy (42), Rachael Haynes (31), and Ellyse Perry (31*) to reach the target in 36.2 overs.
With this, Australia finished the Ashes without a defeat.
Twenty players, two Covid-19 reserves in Ranji Trophy
The squad size of each team in the Ranji Trophy 2021/22 shall not exceed 30 members, while there will be a minimum of 20 players in that contingent. 'Accordingly, the number of support staff is capped at a total of 10,' the BCCI has told the state associations.
The BCCI has also allowed the states to carry two reserves in view of the Covid-19 pandemic: 'The teams are permitted to carry two extra players as COVID RESERVES. In case, where a Team India cricketer is deputed by the BCCI to participate in domestic cricket, he will be eligible for match fee over and above the 20 players based on his Playing XI and non-Playing XI status in the matches.'