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Elsewhere, Haryana were reduced to 119 for 7 on their home ground by Jammu & Kashmir while a Jadeja helped Saurashtra claim the upper hand against Kerala

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-20173:05

Priyank Panchal: Gujarat’s batting mainstay

Gujarat seamer Chintan Gaja’s 8 for 40 destroyed Rajasthan as they crumbled to 153 all out after opting to bat in Surat. The defending champions then went to stumps on 90 for 1, after they lost Samit Gohel (46) in what turned out to be the last delivery of the day.In the morning, Rajasthan never really recovered after Gaja cleaned up opener Amitkumar Gautam off the third ball of the day. Thereon, the visitors went from 32 for 3 to 62 for 6, with the dismissal of Siddharth Dobal giving Gaja his second five-wicket haul. The 23-year old was playing his ninth first-class game.Rajasthan’s only partnership of substance was between Rajesh Bishnoi (43*) and Tajinder Singh (45) – 70 runs for the seventh wicket. But, things unraveled quickly once Tajinder was dismissed by Gaja.Seven wickets between seamers Mohammed Mudhasir (4 for 34) and Ram Dayal (3 for 35) helped Jammu & Kashmir reduce Haryana to 119 for 7 in Lahli.On a day when only 45 overs were possible before bad light stopped play, Haryana were put in and lost their top three within 11 overs, Mudhasir taking all of them out to leave the score at 23 for 3. Then they slumped to 88 for 7 until an unbroken 31-run stand between captain Amit Mishra and Harshal Patel helped them see off the day without any further casualty.Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja’s 6 for 112, his eighth first-class five-for, was instrumental in Saurashtra bowling Kerala out for 225 in Thiruvananthapuram after the latter opted to bat first. Sanju Samson (68) was the only Kerala batsman to pass fifty before he was removed by left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who finished with two wickets.Kerala lost openers Mohammed Azharuddeen and Jalaj Saxena early on before Samson and Rohan Prem carried out the repair job with an 82-run stand. But Jadeja had Prem lbw and Samson followed 10 overs later. Their dismissals triggered a collapse as Kerala lost their last seven wickets for 77 runs. Offspinner Vandit Jivrajani finished with two wickets as well. In reply, Saurashtra’s openers Snell Patel and Robin Uthappa began solidly to finish the day on 37 for 0.

Afghanistan Cricket Board chief executive Shafiq Stanikzai has presented an argument in favor of the proposal for two-tier Test cricket, saying the side is deserves the opportunity to play Tests through their solid performances in the ICC’s Intercontinent

Peter Della Penna04-Sep-2016Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai has presented an argument in favor of the proposal for two-tier Test cricket, saying the side deserves the opportunity to play Tests through their solid performances in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup first-class multi-day competition for Associates.”We think that we are ready to play Test cricket and we have proven that,” Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview. “Since we entered into the Intercontinental Cup arena, we were beaten only once. That was in the [2013] Intercontinental Cup final where we got beaten by Ireland but that’s the only loss we have in a four-day game or multi-day game.”Afghanistan are currently in second place behind Ireland on the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup table after four rounds, with three wins and a rain-marred draw against Scotland. Afghanistan’s overall record in the first-class competition is outstanding with 14 wins, one loss and four draws. Right from their debut in the competition – a high-scoring draw in which they claimed first-innings points against a Zimbabwe XI in 2009 – they have made an effort to demonstrate their versatility rather than be pigeonholed as a limited-overs specialist outfit.Nowhere was that more evident than in their victory against a then elite Canada outfit in 2010, who at the time were preparing to play their third successive ICC World Cup. Set a target of 494 to win in the fourth innings, Afghanistan recorded the ninth-best successful chase in first-class cricket history spearheaded by Mohammad Shahzad’s unbeaten 214. That win propelled them to a maiden Intercontinental Cup title later that year with a win over Scotland in the final. That victory also broke Ireland’s streak of three successive titles.Overall, Afghanistan have scored 400 or more in an innings six times and batted for more than 100 overs in an innings on 11 occasions in the Intercontinental Cup, showing their versatility. They have also shown adaptability to foreign conditions, notching victories in Scotland, Kenya, Canada, Namibia and twice in the Netherlands.Three of Afghanistan’s last six Intercontinental Cup wins have come by an innings margin, while the other three were by margins of ten wickets, eight wickets and 201 runs. Stanikzai says there is not much more for them to prove against Associate-level competition in multi-day cricket and they are eager for a chance to show their skills in a Test scenario.”We have a real good package for every single format of the game,” he said. “If you have a look at the Afghanistan cricket team, we have almost a different squad for every single format. We have T20 specialists, we have ODI specialists, we have multi-day players, specialists not just in batting but in bowling as well. So we are carrying a different bunch of players in every single format we are playing.”Stanikzai’s point is backed up by the fact that core players from their limited-overs squad – bowlers Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Rashid Khan, and batsmen Noor Ali Zadran, Javed Ahmadi, Najibullah Zadran and Gulbadin Naib – were all absent from Afghanistan’s starting XI in their most recent Intercontinental Cup win over Netherlands. Afghanistan also has a domestic four-day competition since 2014, which features teams from five regions, although this has not yet been assigned first-class status.”It means the talent is huge in Afghanistan and things have shaped up quite nicely and we have improved quite rapidly in the cricketing world,” Stanikzai said. “Afghanistan is a team that is ready to play Test cricket. We are just looking forward for this [two-tier] proposal to get passed by the ICC board. My stance and Afghanistan Cricket Board’s stance is quite clear that we need more opportunities.”

England U-19s overcame a significant batting collapse to secure a three-wicket victory and level the one-day series against Australia U-19s

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2015
ScorecardDan Lawrence’s hundred dominated England’s chase•Getty Images

England U-19s overcame a significant batting collapse to secure a three-wicket victory and level the one-day series against Australia U-19s. It meant an outstanding hundred from Dan Lawrence, which followed an impressive bowling and fielding display, did not go waste but it needed a cool head from Brad Taylor to complete the win.Taylor, the Hampshire offspinner, completed a fine all-round day as he added an unbeaten 23 to his earlier 3 for 50 which helped ensure Australia struggled for late momentum. When he was joined by Jared Warner, England still required 27 having lost 6 for 45 against a combination of Jonte Pattison and David Grant. It was hard work for the pair, but two boundaries for Taylor off Arjun Nair helped ease the pressure and he struck the winning blow off the first ball of the penultimate over.It should have been far easier for England as Lawrence, the Essex batsman, compiled a stylish 90-ball hundred as he dominated a second-wicket stand of 108 in 22 overs with debutant Jack Burnham. He struck 18 boundaries – including six in the first nine overs – and a six, although he was given a life on 31.England had bowled their overs so quickly that they were required to bat before the interval and Lawrence gave them a brisk start before Adam Hickey fell to the last ball before the break. England were never under run-rate pressure, but Pattison broke the second-wicket stand when he removed Burnham and next ball captain Aneurin Donald watched the ball dribble onto his stumps.Pattison claimed his third when he trapped Lawrence lbw sweeping and the nerves really started the jangle for England when Grant, spearing in his yorkers after a wayward first spell, claimed three wickets in consecutive overs. Aaron Thomason lofted into the covers, Callum Taylor was pinned by a toe-crusher and Ryan Davies swung to midwicket.Earlier, Australia and chosen to bat but were made to struggle by impressive new-ball bowling from Saqib Mahmood and Hugh Bernard. The innings was revived by a stand of 137 between Caleb Jewell and captain Jake Doran, but England managed to keep a handle on the scoring rate to such an extent that when Jewell fell for 80 in the 40th over Australia were still under four an over.Spin was to the fore. Lawrence played his part with the ball, slipping in five overs of offspin for 16, while Hickey bowled his ten for 38 and Taylor removed both Jewell and Doran among his three scalps.

Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first two matches for Australia A against the England Lions this month due to the latest in a series of foot ailments

Daniel Brettig14-Feb-2013Josh Hazlewood will miss at least the first two matches for Australia A against the England Lions this month after his unfortunate litany of foot ailments was maintained during Australia’s Twenty20 loss to the West Indies in Brisbane on Wednesday night.Alister McDermott has been called up to replace Hazlewood for the two fixtures in Hobart, leaving Cricket Australia medical staff to determine whether he will be ready to return for the balance of the five-match series.Figures of 1 for 36 at the Gabba did not do full justice to Hazlewood, who impressed with his height and bounce, claiming the wicket of Chris Gayle. But the news that he has again suffered foot trouble will be a source of concern for the national selectors given their desire to ease him into a more regular place at international level.”Hazlewood suffered a foot injury during last night’s T20I in Brisbane and as a result has been withdrawn from the first two matches of the Australia A series,” A CA spokesman said. “A decision on his participation for the remaining fixtures will be determined once a further assessment has taken place.”At 22, Hazlewood is widely considered one of Australia’s most promising pace prospects, his height and disciplined line providing a contrast tot he swing and pace of James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.However the selectors’ efforts to increase Hazlewood’s familiarity with the national team have been confounded numerous times by foot injuries. He was close to selection for the third Test against South Africa in Perth last year before a stress hot spot was located, keeping him out of the summer until the closing rounds of the Big Bash League.Last summer Hazlewood was also absent for long periods with a foot stress fracture. He debuted for Australia against England at Southampton in 2010 but in a first-class career that began in 2008 he has still played only 16 matches.

Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday

David Hopps14-Jan-2012Graeme Swann, the England offspinner, has said there are no lingering doubts about his fitness for the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Tuesday. As if to prove it, he followed up his statement by diving from a racing yacht into the warm waters of the Persian Gulf.Swann needed a scan on a sore thigh before playing in England’s 100-run victory against a Pakistan Cricket Board XI. He described himself as “100% fit” as he joined team-mate Alastair Cook for a quick flight to Abu Dhabi and a ceremonial plunge off the racing yacht Azzam, Abu Dhabi’s official contender in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.Swann, 32, admitted he had briefly felt his age as injury threatened to disrupt a tour that gives him the opportunity to reassert himself as one of the world’s leading spin bowlers. “I was a bit nervous going into the last warm-up game because my thigh felt like a 32-year-old’s rather than a 22-year-old’s,” he said. “But it managed to get through and I felt great by the end of the game. So touch wood I’ll be 100% fit for the first Test.”If there had been any injury doubts, Swann’s jaunt to Abu Dhabi would not have been countenanced. The players donned heavy-weather, waterproof safety gear to join a short-sprint course that officially started the third leg of the race from Abu Dhabi to Sanya, China.Swann was left to marvel at the camaraderie on the yacht, skippered by Britain’s double-Olympic medallist Ian Walker, a useful reminder shortly before the start of what England expect to be a gruelling Test series against Pakistan.”Ian told us that Azzam translated as determination in Arabic,” Swann said. “That seems a perfectly apt name having seen the unbelievable camaraderie and teamwork the crew put in during our short stint on board.”Swann became the first England spinner to take 50 Test wickets in a calendar year in 2009, as he made a spectacular entry into international cricket. His success has been more hard-won over the past year as he has needed all his know-how to survive a series of unsympathetic pitches, but he has high hopes of greater assistance in the UAE.He has already bowled 70 overs in the two warm-up games and can expect his workload to remain heavy, with three Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals to follow. He was overshadowed by Monty Panesar against the PCB XI, taking only two wickets in comparison to Panesar’s match-return of 8 for 103.Swann told the he would prefer to have Panesar alongside him in the opening Test. “I like the rhythm of spinners at each end and I’d go with two in this part of the world. He has shown he can be a matchwinner when he’s back to his best. I spin the ball in, he spins it away and a partnership like that can be formidable.”The decision to use the same pitch for England’s first two matches gave both spinners encouragement. “The ball does spin, especially on a six-day old pitch,” Swann said. “I should be getting a lot of work out here. It’s obviously hot, and the seamers can’t do the job they do in England because it’s just not the same conditions.”

Pakistan have left out experienced allrounder and former captain Shoaib Malik from the list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011Pakistan have left out experienced allrounder and former captain Shoaib Malik from the list of 30 probables for the 2011 World Cup. Malik had been under the scanner of the PCB’s integrity committee and ultimately appears to have failed to gain clearance for selection. Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, over whom there has been as much speculation, has, however, been selected.The pair, alongside legspinner Danish Kaneria, have been frozen out of recent Pakistan squads. The trio have not participated for Pakistan in any format since the summer tour to England; Kaneria was part of the Test squad for the South Africa series in the UAE but was prevented from travelling by the board at the very last minute. Though not an ODI regular, he also doesn’t find a place in the 30.The PCB hasn’t said so publicly but the trio have been under suspicion in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked Pakistan’s cricket. Akmal was the subject of an ACSU notice earlier this year but has since asked for and received a written clearance from the ICC. Kaneria’s name featured in a separate spot-fixing scandal at Essex county. Malik has not been linked with any specific incident though he features regularly in the fevered speculation and gossip of Pakistan’s cricket structure.As a result, over the last few weeks the players have appeared three times before the PCB’s integrity committee and handed in various financial documents and statements. They last appeared before the committee last Thursday. The lack of clarity over Akmal and Malik in particular had forced the PCB to ask the ICC for more time in naming their probables. The world body extended the deadline for Pakistan from December 19 to January 5.Elsewhere there is little genuine surprise. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, provisionally suspended for their alleged role in the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal, were never in the running for the squad. Mohammad Yousuf, the veteran batsman recently discarded from Pakistan’s Test side, is in the running for a middle-order spot. There will be quibbling over the axing of Fawad Alam, who averages nearly 38 in the limited opportunities he gets, but at least one member of the selection committee has been against his inclusion as a matter of policy. Nasir Jamshed, the left-handed opener, is also included, in place of Imran Farhat.”We are satisfied that we have selected the best squad from amongst the available players,” chief selector Mohsin Khan said. “There is a lot of speculation in the media regarding clearance or otherwise of players by integrity committee of PCB. The integrity committee has given its views on some players to the selection committee which has taken into consideration that input and has selected the 30 players for the World Cup.”The ODI squad for the series against New Zealand will be announced next week.Squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Taufiq Umar, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Naveed Yasin, Kamran Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Salman Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Ali

Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA)

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2010Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch consultant, has come down heavily on the ground authorities at the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for over-ruling the recommendation of Daljit Singh last year, which led to the abandonment of the final match of the India-Sri Lanka ODI series at the Feroz Shah Kotla on December 27. As a consequence, Daljit , chairman of the BCCI pitch and grounds committee, and his panel, were sacked the same day by the BCCI, which held him responsible.But Atkinson, who visited various Indian venues hosting next year’s World Cup earlier this month, inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15. Though he was happy with the remedial work in progress that has started under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators’ panel, Atkinson stated in the report to the BCCI, a copy of which was available to Cricinfo, that all the controversy could have been easily avoided if the DDCA ground officials had heard Daljit’s suggestions.”As a consequence of the state of affairs that occurred with the pitch throughout last
year, the decision to use of Perennial Rye grass was the only option left at a very late
stage in an attempt to obtain some grass cover for the ODI on the 27th December and
was recommended by Mr. Daljit Singh (Chairman BCCI Pitches Committee) quite
correctly as an emergency measure,” Atkinson wrote.”Unfortunately the then local authority of DDCA did not agree with that course of action and went ahead and planted some local Cynodon grass, creating damage to the surface levels in doing so,” he addedIn the eight-page report, addressed to Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s chief administrative officer, Atkinson explained the disastrous consequences. “As predicted this grass did not grow then, and now the remains of it which is decomposing below the surface of the pitch will need to be removed mechanically so that the organic content will not further dilute the clay content of the soil and reduce the ability of that soil to produce fast hard pitches in the future.”According to Atkinson the surface level, too, was damaged as a result of using a heavy roller, thereby “creating low and high areas (Ridges)”. This was amply evident during the Sri Lanka ODI where Alan Hurst, the match referee, in his report submitted to the ICC few days after the game, said he was forced to stop the match after 23.1 overs because he deemed the Kotla pitch “dangerous” and “unfit”.Consequently the ICC penalised the Indian board and suspended the venue from hosting any international matches until the end of 2010. Though the BCCI appealed against the ICC decision, which was arrived at by the pair Dave Richardson, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, the chief match referee, Michael Beloff QC rejected their plea, insisting the penalty was in order.Fans were not happy when the match was called off and Andy Atkinson said the situation could have been avoided•AFP

Last April, after the second edition of the IPL had moved to South Africa, DDCA decided to re-lay the whole ground and Daljit was appointed as a consultant. But just months after the main pitch block was re-laid, DDCA agreed to host the Champions League Twenty20 games, an erroneous decision according to Atkinson.”The new grasses planted then were not given adequate time to grow in and establish a resilient deep root structure,” he wrote, “and when rolling began to prepare the pitches for the IPL Champions League the grass quite unsurprisingly died off as it was too delicate at that time to survive the stresses that were put on it by the act of rolling.”But he is against the re-laying the entire pitch square. “I can find no appropriate reason to excavate and reconstruct the pitch block at this time,” Atkinson said. “The basic construction of the pitch block as supervised by Daljit Singh is sound in my opinion and the reasons for the problems encountered were basically self inflicted by basic and terminal mistakes made by playing on the pitch far too early after its reconstruction in 2009.”With just twelve months to go until the World Cup the process is at a critical stage to get the Kotla back in shape. But Atkinson is not panicking yet as long as his suggestions are followed. “The problems to be overcome for CWC 2011 are fundamental issues of additional correction of the surface levels and ensuring the re‐establishment of the correct grass species by replanting the entire pitch block with the most suitable grasses for its long term benefit.”If the various authorities, and importantly the DDCA, adhere to his guidelines, Atkinson said Delhi would have no problems in hosting their four World Cup games. But there are some strict timelines that need to be adhered to. As soon as the last IPL game ends on April 17, Atkinson has said there will be no play at the ground, which would then undergo complete corrective work for 20 weeks between April 17 and August 31. This would be followed by hosting trial matches to test the pitches between September 1 and November 30. For the next 16 weeks, between December and February 17, 2011 the ground would be completely closed for maintenance and preparations of the pitches and the venue.Atkinson also stated that he would be visiting Delhi frequently, starting on March 15, two days ahead of the first IPL game, to inspect the developments.

Ahmed Daniyal, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz and Abbas Afridi are the newcomers to the side led by Salman Agha

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2025Salman Agha will lead a side without a recovering Shadab Khan and an injured Haris Rauf for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, Dhaka, to be played between July 20 and 24.The squad has been trimmed by one from the time Pakistan played their last T20I series – also against Bangladesh – but at home in May-June, when Pakistan won 3-0.Shadab has recently undergone surgery on his right shoulder and is currently recovering. Rauf, meanwhile, picked up a hamstring injury at the MLC, which has ruled him out of San Francisco Unicorns’ playoff matches. Apart from them, Irfan Khan Niazi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim and Naseem Shah have been left out. Hasan, who was the top wicket-taker when Bangladesh toured Pakistan earlier, has been allowed to continue playing in England while selectors try out other options. Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi – also absent – are being considered for ODIs by Pakistan for the moment.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The replacements don’t bring a lot of experience with them. Ahmed Daniyal, the medium pacer, and Salman Mirza, the left-arm quick, are uncapped in international cricket, while left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem is just ten T20Is old. Top-order batter Hasan Nawaz made his international debut earlier this year and has played just eight T20Is, although he also did have a stellar PSL season. Abbas Afridi, the medium pacer, is relatively more experienced, having played 21 T20Is since making his debut early last year.Some of them were among the better performers at the PSL earlier this year. Abbas Afridi was the fourth-highest wicket-taker overall, with 17 wickets from 11 innings for Karachi Kings. Salman Mirza picked up nine wickets from just four games for Lahore Qalandars. Nawaz, meanwhile, was the third-highest run-scorer overall with 399 runs in ten innings for Quetta Gladiators, going at a strike rate of 162.19.This is the second T20I series Pakistan will be playing under new white-ball coach Mike Hesson, with the next T20 World Cup scheduled for early 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.The squad for the white-ball series against West Indies, to be played in Lauderhill (T20Is) and Tarouba (ODIs) in early August, “will be announced in due course,” the PCB said in a statement. The board’s COO Summer Syed said they were in negotiations with Cricket West Indies to turn the ODIs of that tour into more T20Is, given there is a T20 World Cup next year.

Pakistan squad for T20I series against Bangladesh

Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Bumrah took charge of India in his absence

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20241:35

Manjrekar: Rohit had an answer to all of Stokes’ plans

India captain Rohit Sharma, suffering a stiff back, did not take the field at the start of the third day of the the fifth Test against England in Dharamsala. The designated vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah, took charge of the team.Rohit has enjoyed rich returns over the back end of the series, scoring centuries in two of the last three Tests. He was instrumental in establishing India’s advantage in Dharamsala, bringing up his 12th Test century and his 10th at home. With all five of the top-order making fifty-plus scores, the hosts were able to take a lead of 259 as the game moved forward.Related

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Rohit had partnerships of 104 and 171 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill respectively as India took hold of the game despite losing the toss. Jaiswal made 57, his fifth score of 50 or more in this series – two of which he converted into double-centuries. Gill went on to score his second century of the series.India have faced a spate of injuries over the course of the series. Mohammed Shami (ankle injury) and Virat Kohli (birth of his second child) have not been involved at all. KL Rahul has missed all but the first Test, recovering from a quadricep tendon injury. Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t available for the second Test with a hamstring injury. R Ashwin had to leave the team in Rajkot briefly to attend to a family emergency. Bumrah was rested for the fourth Test in Ranchi. And Rajat Patidar has been nursing a sore ankle. All of India’s first-choice players have the IPL coming up, on March 22 through to May, which then leads into the T20 World Cup in June.India are leading the series against England 3-1, bouncing back from a defeat in Hyderabad to win three on the trot.

A total of 140 cricketers have signed up for the season, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller and Alex Hales

Aadam Patel22-Nov-2022The sixth season of the Abu Dhabi T10 begins on Wednesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium with New York Strikers, led by Kieron Pollard, taking on Bangla Tigers, who will be captained by Shakib Al Hasan.Wednesday’s double-header will also see the reigning champions Deccan Gladiators clashing with Team Abu Dhabi. The two sides will be led by Nicholas Pooran and Chris Lynn respectively,Mushtaq Ahmed will once again be in charge of a Gladiators team with the likes of Andre Russell, David Wiese and Tabraiz Shamsi. The Gladiators came on top of the group standings last year, winning seven out of their ten games before beating Delhi Bulls in the Qualifier and then again in the final.The Bulls, coached by Andy Flower, will begin their campaign in a triple-header on Thursday and are captained by Dwayne Bravo who will be hoping to go one better after falling short after fellow West Indian Russell smashed 90* off 32 balls in last year’s final.Two new franchises have joined for this year’s edition from USA with the launch of the Strikers and Morrisville Samp Army increasing the amount of teams to eight.Moeen Ali will lead the Morrisville franchise once he joins up in the UAE after winning the T20 World Cup with England in Australia, while Lance Klusener is head coach. The Strikers will be coached by Carl Crowe and will also benefit from having Yuvraj Singh as a mentor.He isn’t the only Indian name set to feature, with the likes of Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth all signed up for the competition.The tournament will feature some of cricket’s most well-known names with 140 cricketers signed up, including the likes of Eoin Morgan, David Miller, Adil Rashid, Wanindu Hasaranga and Alex Hales.Each team will face each other once, with 33 games scheduled over the next 12 days in Abu Dhabi. The top two sides will advance to a Qualifier with the winner progressing to the final on Sunday, December 4. The winner of the eliminator between third and fourth place will face the loser of the Qualifier in a virtual sem-final, with the winner of that game advancing to the final.A T10 league for Sri Lanka has also been announced with the Lanka T10 League schedule to take place in June next year.