Let’s take a look at some of the important developments from the cricketing world that took place on June 15.
India announce 15-man squad for WTC final
Mayank Agarwal and Shardul Thakur have failed to make the cut as India zeroed to a 15-member squad for the World Test Championship final. KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar are three others to have been sidelined. Wriddhiman Saha has been roped in as a backup for Rishabh Pant.
On the 0ther hand, India have named five fast bowlers – Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami – for the Test match.
New Zealand have also announced the 15-men squad for the summit clash. BJ Watling will be bidding adieu to the game after this match.
India’s limited-overs squad reach Mumbai for mandatory quarantine
India’s Sri Lanka-bound 20-member squad has assembled in Mumbai. They will undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine before departing for three ODIs and three T20Is, all at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the side, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar as deputy. With Ravi Shastri engaged in a tour to England, Rahul Dravid will be the head coach of the Indian contingent.
Williamson, Watling return for WTC final
Kane Williamson had been ruled out of the second Test match against England due to an elbow injury. BJ Watling had missed the match too, with a bad back. New Zealand Cricket has cleared both of them to feature in the final of the World Test Championship.
New Zealand will be riding high on confidence, after registering their first-ever series victory in England in more than two decades. They played for a draw at Lord’s before defeating the hosts by eight wickets at Edgbaston.
Williamson will return to lead the side, while Watling will retire after the Test match.
ECB apologises for Bristol pitch
India Women will play a Test match against England at Bristol from 16 June. A day before the match, however, It has come to light that the match will be played on a used surface.
Gloucestershire and Sussex battled for 37 overs few days ago in the Vitality Blast on the same surface. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued a statement of apology, citing shortage of First-class ground as the main reason for not providing fresh pitch.
‘With the Test only being added to the calendar in mid-April, coupled with the lack of available first-class grounds, we knew a fresh TV pitch was going to be a challenge. We accept that this issue shouldn’t have arisen, and we will make sure it doesn’t happen in the future,’ ECB said.