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South Africa allrounder Chris Morris has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. While declaring his decision to hang his boots after a 12-year career, the 34-year-old Morris also said that he would be taking up a coaching role with South African domestic side Titans.”Thanks to all who have played a part in my journey whether it be big or small…it’s been a fun ride!” Morris’ instagram caption read.Morris last represented South Africa during the 2019 ODI World Cup, a tournament where he was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker. He turned out for his country 69 times across the three formats, taking 94 wickets in all.A bowling allrounder who often sent the speedgun beyond 140kph, Morris was also a hard-hitting lower-order batter. Morris made his international debut in a T20I in December 2012, and an ODI debut followed next year, in June 2013. He had to wait for his Test debut though, finally earning the first of his four Test caps in January 2016.Morris’ all-round skills meant he was in high demand in T20 leagues earning high paychecks, particularly in IPL auctions. He had played only one T20I when Chennai Super Kings bid $US625,000 for him, more than 31 times his base price of $US20,000. In the IPL 2016 auction, Delhi Daredevils bought him for INR 7 crore (approx $US1.04 million). Then in the IPL 2020 auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore bid INR 10 crore for him (approx $US1.4 million).Finally, in the IPL 2021 auction, Rajasthan Royals broke the bank for him in bidding INR 16.25 crore for him (approx $US 2.24 million). The Royals bid in 2021 made Morris the most expensive player to go under the hammer in IPL auctions to date, although he wasn’t the highest paid player, with Virat Kohli being paid INR 17 crore by the Royal Challengers in IPLs 2018 to 2021.Morris’ Test career lasted only four matches, where he took 12 wickets at an average of 38.25. His Test debut against England also provided his highest Test score of 69.In ODIs, Morris played 42 matches and took 48 wickets at an average of 36.58 and an economy rate of 5.56. His batting average of 20.30 perhaps did not reflect his skills as a batter, but his strike-rate of 100.43 showed his abilities to be a gamechanger with the bat.However, Morris leaves his greatest legacy in the shortest format. He played 234 T20s, including 23 for South Africa between 2012 and 2019. In all T20s, he took 290 wickets at an average of 22.21 and economy of 7.78, while with the bat finished with a strike-rate of 150.04.Morris has played cricket all around the world, apart from his time spent with Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, North West, Lions and the Titans at home. In England, he played for Surrey and Hampshire, in West Indies for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Sydney Thunder in Australia.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri is pleased that his statement about Kuldeep Yadav becoming India’s No.1 overseas spinner spurred R Ashwin to “do something different.”Ashwin had injured himself in the opening Test of the Australia tour in Adelaide in 2018, and by the time the fourth Test came in Sydney, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were India’s spinners. Kuldeep returned 5 for 99 in that drawn fixture, helping India to their first-ever Test series win Down Under.While speaking to the recently, Ashwin said that he was “absolutely crushed” by Shastri’s comments. On Thursday, speaking on the , Shastri responded to Ashwin’s statement.”One thing as a coach, let me tell you… my job out there is not to butter everyone’s toast,” Shastri said. “My job is, without agenda, to state facts and say the way it is. Ashwin didn’t play the Test match in Sydney. Kuldeep played, took a five-for, and bowled brilliantly. So, it was only fair that I give the young kid who is probably playing his first or second Test match overseas…and he bowled magnificently in that Test match. He bowled as well as any spinner overseas in that Test match. So, I said the way he’s bowled here, there’s every chance he could be India’s No.1 [spin] bowler overseas.”Now if that hurt some other player, then I would say good. In hindsight, I’m glad I made that statement and Ashwin has made this statement because if it hurt him and he was upset, I’m glad the way he went about his job. I’m the kind of coach who will want a player to go inside and say ‘I’m going to show his coach I’m going to teach him a lesson and show him what I’m all about’.”So, if it upset him, I’m very happy. If it made him do something different, which he did, I’m very happy because the way he was bowling in 2019 and the way he bowled in 2021 in Australia was chalk and cheese. I’ll go for the cheese any day. And by the way being thrown under the bus, Ash need not worry because I’d already spoken to the bus driver and told him to stop two feet short.”Ashwin had actually been fine with the praise that was lavished on Kuldeep after that series. “I was happy for Kuldeep. I have not been able to get a five-for but he has a five-for in Australia. I know how big it is.” He was miffed that that performance was being used to say his time was over. “It’s an extremely happy occasion, to win in Australia. But if I have to come and partake in his happiness, and the success of the team, I must feel like I belong there.”Also, when it was put to Ashwin in that interview that this all might have been a way to motivate him, he replied, “motivation is for those who need it. But when someone is going through a tough phase in life and needs an arm around his shoulder… that was a tough phase in my life.”The Australia tour was Ashwin’s second curtailed Test tour in a row, and after suffering multiple injuries between 2018 and 2020, he revealed that he even contemplated giving up the game at various points.But fast-forward to 2021 and Ashwin is at the peak of his powers, having delivered in the most recent tour to Australia and also at home. He now has 427 Test wickets and is eight shy of surpassing Kapil Dev’s tally. Shastri believed that Ashwin’s improved fitness has contributed to his upsurge.”It was a message clearly to him that you’ve got to be fit,” Shastri said. “We need players to play the whole series. So, that happened in 2018 and 2019 again he was injured. So, what did he do after that in those two years? I think he’s worked harder on his game than anybody else and he’s world-class.”Let me tell you he’s the best spinner in the world now. The way he’s bowling now and the way he’s worked on his fitness and if you look at the way he’s bowling of late, I think he has a great opportunity now that he’s the lone frontline spinner there in South Africa to go out there and win the series for India.”‘With good communication change of captaincy could’ve been handled better’
According to Shastri, the change of Indian captaincy in ODI cricket could’ve been smoother with better communication. Virat Kohli said he was informed of his removal as India’s ODI captain just one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting to pick the Test squad for South Africa.Kohli added that his decision to quit as T20I captain just prior to the World Cup was “received well” and termed as “progressive” by the BCCI top brass. His words were in sharp contrast to that of BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s, which suggested Kohli was asked to reconsider his decision.”I’ve been part of the system for many, many years, especially [I’ve] been part of the team for the last seven years,” Shastri said. “I think, with good communication, this can be handled much, much better. Instead of it being out in public domain, it can be handled in much better fashion. So, if you look at things, as it stands now, all it needs is a little more communication.”Virat has given his side of the story. It needs the president of the board to come and give his side of the story or give some clarification on whatever has happened. It’s not a question of who’s lying here. The question is: what is the truth? We want to know the truth and that can only come with dialogue and communication and nothing else… You need dialogues from both sides and not one side.”

Mominul Haque became the latest high-profile selection turnaround in Bangladesh after he was swiftly brought back into the squad for the first Test against Australia, a day after he was dropped. The decision, reportedly taken by the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan, is also the latest episode of tumult in the convoluted selection policy introduced last year, which also factors in the approval of the board president.The initial decision to drop him was contentious since Mominul had suffered only his first dip in batting form since his Test debut in 2013. Other Bangladesh batsmen have been given longer stints in the senior team, with recent examples being Mahmudullah and Soumya Sarkar. Mominul remains the highest run-getter at home in the last four years, and the best player of spin by far.During the press conference to announce the team on Saturday, chief selector Minhajul Abedin and coach Chandika Hathurusingha offered different reasons to support Mominul’s exclusion but many of those fell flat. When Minhajul and Hathurusingha were called to a meeting by Hassan, in the presence of selector Habibul Bashar and other BCB directors, they had to agree to bring Mominul back.He was brought in to replace Mosaddek Hossain, who has an eye infection, but the discussion went much deeper. Hassan said that he usually talks plans and strategies with the players, head coach and selectors before every series but this time he missed the meeting because the team was training in Chittagong earlier this month.”So after seeing the squad, I asked the selection committee and the coach to see me because I wanted to know what they were planning to do,” Hassan said. “Today I heard the coach’s plan with the selectors present. I also spoke to the senior players yesterday.”He said that during the meeting there was no real reason given to explain Mominul’s axing, and that the decision was “unfortunate” and “sad”.”Both sides said that there was no real reason to drop Mominul. He became a victim of circumstance, particularly for this game.”It is unfortunate. Mominul is one of our best batsmen, there is no doubt about it. When we dropped him from ODIs and T20s, we said that he will concentrate on Test cricket. He has been our Test specialist, so I am bound to feel sad when he is not in the Test team. There is a big difference between being dropped for one game or being set aside permanently. He can be dropped with conditions or opposition in mind but Mominul is not the sort of player to be dropped. He has a huge career in front of him in Test cricket.”But this is not the first time the selection panel in Bangladesh has made a 180-degree turn for a player. Previously, Minhajul and Habibul Bashar were reinstated after being overlooked in 1999 and 2000 respectively. In 2006, Mohammad Ashraful was brought back into the squad after being dropped.In recent years, there has been some drama surrounding team selection, none more so than when Mahmudullah, touring Sri Lanka, was asked by the team management to return home ahead of Bangladesh’s 100th Test. Hours later, Hassan insisted that Mahmudullah would remain in Sri Lanka and be picked in the ODI team. Hassan also said that he asked the selectors to pick Mehidy Hasan for the ODIs on that tour.The instances of Mahmudullah and Mehidy are among the more high-profile turnarounds since the new selection committee took over in June last year. The BCB rebooted the committee by adding Hathurusingha, team manager Khaled Mahmud and cricket operations chairman Akram Khan. Faruque Ahmed resigned as chief selector, with Minhajul being named as his replacement. The committee picks a squad, and it still needs Hassan’s approval.Hassan has asked the selection committee to reduce his role in decision-making, but on several occasions in the last 14 months, he has made recommendations for certain players. For instance, he asked the selectors to continue with Mosharraf Hossain after he bowled well in the third ODI against Afghanistan.During last year’s Bangladesh Premier League, he mentioned Mehedi Maruf and Shahriar Nafees as potential candidates for the New Zealand tour. The selectors picked Maruf in the training squad and the player traveled to New Zealand, had nets for a day and then returned home.The latest episode is not the last instance when the selectors are undermined, though it will leave a bad taste for those who reformed the selection system.Could it, for the first time, trigger a rethink on the policy?

Domestic cricket in Bangladesh should be scheduled during the cooler part of the year, and venues must have better facilities, the former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud has urged. Mashud has asked the BCB to make these changes after many players suffered in the ongoing heat wave across the country.In the 2016-17 season, the National Cricket League first-class tournament began in September but took a break to accommodate the Bangladesh Premier League T20 competition, which was held from November 8 to December 9. The NCL ended after a second phase that stretched from December 20 to January 6.The Bangladesh Cricket League, the four-team first-class competition, then took place from January 28 to March 8. The Dhaka Premier League, which began this season on April 12 and is likely to end in mid-June, has a history of scheduling delays as the major clubs want the top cricketers to participate in the List A competition. Since September last year, the Bangladesh team has been busy playing home or away, so it was hard for the BCB to make the clubs agree to start the DPL in March, when the top cricketers were in Sri Lanka.Mashud, who is also Prime Bank Cricket Club’s coach, said the major domestic competitions such as the DPL and the two first-class competitions must be completed by mid-April.”Implementing the domestic calendar during the season is everyone’s priority,” Mashud wrote in a Facebook post. “It won’t be possible to hold back the [Dhaka Premier] league this season but these concerns should be addressed ahead of the next season. I would urge the BCB to finish the longer-version and one-day competitions by mid-April. They can think of a T20 tournament when the weather gets hotter. I believe such a step will help Bangladesh cricket.”The temperature in Bangladesh touched 38 degrees last week. Mashud cited the examples of Gazi Group batsman Jahurul Islam and Prime Bank wicketkeeper Zakir Hasan, who suffered severe cramps during DPL matches. Zakir was particularly affected during Prime Bank’s May 21 match against Gazi Group Cricketers, suffering seizures despite being given an ice massage in the dressing room. He still hasn’t recovered from his cramps.The DPL has had to deal with other issues too. Avishek Mitra, the Mohammedan Sporting Club batsman, suffered a hamstring injury at the BKSP ground, where there was no ambulance to take him for treatment. In the end, the team had to improvise and use a cycle-van.Mashud also pointed out the effect of power failures, at the BKSP and Fatullah grounds, on players.”Like every other place in the country right now, power failure is also affecting the stadiums,” he wrote. “Cricketers don’t get adequate rest after returning from fielding for 50 overs. While there are generators in place for international matches, it is not the case for domestic games.”It is quite embarrassing to find such a situation in the only List A tournament in the country in which local and foreign stars participate. A bigger challenge awaits from May 24 when the Super League begins. Ramadan is also starting on May 27 which is a major concern for me as a coach.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:36

Bangar: ‘Uthappa deflated the Tahir threat’

A turbo-charged innings from Robin Uthappa and a relatively more sedate one from Gautam Gambhir helped Kolkata Knight Riders overhaul 182 with 11 balls to spare and reclaim the top spot in the league. Their 158-run partnership – the second highest for KKR in the IPL – ruthlessly exposed the limitations of a Rising Pune attack that was without Ben Stokes, who was nursing a niggle.In Stokes’ absence, there was a case for Rising Pune to pick either New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson or Australian legspinner Adam Zampa. Instead, they opted for South African batsman Faf du Plessis, who did not even get to bat.Five of Rising Pune’s six bowlers went for over eight runs an over – and three went for over 10. Pune’s fielding was as slipshod as their bowling. Uthappa, who was dropped on 12, moved to his highest IPL score of 87 off 47 balls at a strike-rate of 185.10. Gambhir, who was dropped on 32, went on to make 62. By the time they were dismissed in successive overs, the game was all but over. It was IPL debutant Darren Bravo who applied the finishing touches with a cover-driven four.Tripathi thrives in the Powerplay
The first over of the match, which had four plays-and-misses and an outside edge that burst through Uthappa’s gloves, turned out to be a false dawn for KKR. Rahul Tripathi was scoreless when Uthappa dropped that difficult chance. Yusuf Pathan then shelled a simpler catch to reprieve Tripathi in the seventh over. By then the opener had given Rising Pune their second successive fifty-run opening stand.He darted around the crease and manufactured swinging room to hit a variety of drives, including an inside-out four over covers off Sunil Narine. In all, Tripathi took two of KKR’s key bowlers – Narine and Umesh Yadav – for 28 runs off 13 balls. His early assault allowed Ajinkya Rahane to play himself in at the other end.Dhoni doesn’t start slowly
Before this match, Dhoni had scored just 27 runs off 54 balls from Narine in T20s – 3 off 13 balls in his previous game against KKR. But when Dhoni arrived on Wednesday night, Narine had only one over left. Gambhir held him back, and Dhoni pounced on Piyush Chawla, hitting him for back-to-back boundaries. Dhoni then pulled Kuldeep Yadav for a six and took Pune to 140 for 2 in 16 overs. Gambhir turned to Narine for the next over, but Dhoni saw him off.The rousing finish
Kuldeep brought KKR back by removing both Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary, who was sent ahead of du Plessis, with googlies. KKR, however, were without their previous match-winner Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was rested for this clash. Chris Woakes and Umesh served up a volley of length balls, and Smith and Dan Christian clattered 30 off the last two overs to lift Pune to 182 for 5.The partnership that won it
KKR lost Narine, who opened again, in the third over of the chase when Dhoni collected a throw from Shardul Thakur and dexterously flicked it onto the stumps. Imran Tahir induced a swirling top edge from Uthappa in his first over, but Jaydev Unadkat dropped it, falling backwards at deep midwicket. Uthappa soon got stuck into rookie offspinner Washington Sundar, gloriously lofting him for back-to-back sixes down the ground. Tahir wasn’t spared either – he was driven down the ground for a six. At the other end, Gambhir simply nurdled the ball into the gaps and let Uthappa do his thing.Uthappa soon unfurled dabs and sweeps, and secured runs in the other V – behind square. With every boundary, KKR highlighted the lack of depth in the Pune attack. The weakness in fielding was also exposed when Sundar put down Gambhir at short fine leg.Having watched his frontline bowlers regularly disappear to the boundary, Smith turned to Tripathi’s occasional medium-pace. He fared just as poorly, conceding 12 off his only over. In the first six overs KKR made 45 for 1. In their next six, they bashed 78 for 0. Game over.

Ravindra Jadeja has overtaken R Ashwin at the top of the ICC Test rankings for bowlers, after taking nine wickets against Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cheteshwar Pujara was also a major gainer as his 202 off 525 balls propelled him above Virat Kohli to become the top-ranked India batsman in Tests. He was at No. 2, behind Australia captain Steven Smith.Although the Ranchi Test was drawn, at the end of the fourth day, the hosts had seemed in quite a dominant position thanks to these two players. Pujara, by facing more balls than any other Indian (where data is available) in Tests, secured a whopping 152-run lead though Australia had put up 451. It was the third double-century of his career, second against Australia, and it helped him continue a rich vein of form in the 2016-17 home season – 1259 runs at 66.26 with four hundreds and seven fifties.The top bowlers in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Jadeja, meanwhile, has outbowled his closest competitor Ashwin in the first innings this season – a sign that he was becoming a threat even without the pitch helping him too much. In all, Jadeja has taken 67 wickets at 22.98 with four five-wicket hauls in 24 innings. The changes he has made to his bowling, namely the ability to draw batsmen forward with flighted deliveries, as opposed to his usual method of bowling darts to get bowleds and lbws have made a strong impact. Kohli, at the end of the Ranchi Test, singled out Jadeja as “standing apart” from the rest of his bowlers.The top batsmen in Test cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Smith consolidated his place at the top of the rankings with scores of 178* and 21 in Ranchi. Smith has 941 rating points is now joint-fifth highest ever with Peter May. Only Don Bradman (961), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (942) have ever got more.India will hold on to their position at the top of the rankings at the April 1 deadline for a cash award of $1 million. Australia and South Africa, on the other hand, have a chance to take over the second position. If Smith’s men at least draw the upcoming Dharamsala Test, they will finish at No. 2. South Africa can take over if Australia lose, and they either draw or win the Hamilton Test against New Zealand. The team that finishes second will be awarded $500,000 and the third-placed team will get $200,000.

The BCCI has withdrawn the complaint against Steven Smith and Peter Handscomb hours after lodging it with the ICC, as the aftermath of the Bengaluru Test continued to unfold at a rapid pace.* A joint statement after the two board CEOs met constituted the second statement of peace in two days, after the ICC had said on Wednesday that it was not going to pursue the DRS controversy further.That, it is understood, came after the ICC had studied match footage and the evidence available before deciding to not press any charges against any of the Australia players or Virat Kohli. This was communicated to both the boards, who wanted the ICC to initiate proceedings. The BCCI wanted an investigation into their allegations that Australia sought dressing-room assistance on DRS reviews, and CA wanted action against Kohli who had made public accusations that Australia systemically manipulated DRS protocols.

What they said about withdrawing the complaint

CA’s James Sutherland: “We are halfway through what has already been a riveting series – and there is still much to look forward to. In discussing the relevant issues in depth, we have agreed that it is in the best interests of the game to put these differences aside and clear the way for the focus to be on the cricket.”
BCCI’s Rahul Johri: “While having responded officially to one incident which happened in the last Test, together, we believe that the focus of the teams and the joy they provide to the fans should not be diluted and it is imperative to ensure that the rest of the series, which promises a great cricketing contest, not be compromised.”

The incident occurred on the final day of the Test, when Smith looked towards the dressing room after having chatted with non-striker Handscomb when given out lbw in a tense chase, apparently for clues on whether to review the call or not. Umpire Nigel Llong intervened immediately, and sent Smith on his way. In his post-match conference, Smith put his actions down to a “brain fade”. Kohli disagreed with that, saying Australia took help from their dressing room on at least three occasions before making their mind up on DRS reviews in the Test. Kohli said he had made the umpires aware of the matter on two occasions before the third one played out in full view.Incidentally, the other two incidents that Kohli spoke of were not even part of the complaint that the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri lodged on Thursday. Under the DRS protocols, the Smith incident was already dealt with when he was not allowed to communicate with his dressing room. Had he then sought a review, it would have been disallowed.The BCCI, though, pushed for a charge for a level 2 offence under the ICC code of conduct, contending that Smith and Handscomb had acted against the spirit of cricket. To prove Smith and Handscomb had violated the spirit of cricket, the BCCI would have to prove intent, for which there is no evidence available. Handscomb had already tweeted an explanation for the incident saying he had asked Smith to look up because he didn’t know the playing conditions.Once the ICC received this complaint, it spoke to Johri and CA CEO James Sutherland, who were both present in Mumbai, and impressed upon them that the charge BCCI wanted to press was near impossible to prove. The drama ended late in the night, when the joint statement was released at 11.28pm.It said: “The BCCI will withdraw the complaint filed with ICC with an expectation that the two captains will meet prior to the Ranchi Test and commit to lead their teams by example and play the rest of the series, in the right spirit, demonstrating that the players from both teams are true ambassadors for their respective countries.”This should put end to a hostile aftermath of the Bengaluru Test, in which both the boards and their media wings became active participants. BCCI’s official Twitter handle released a clip of Smith’s dismissal with the caption “dressing room review system?”. On Thursday, Sutherland called Kohli’s claims “outrageous”, and the BCCI responded in a media release that it stood behind its captain.*18.00GMT, March 9: This article was updated after the BCCI withdrew its complaint.

Suryakumar Yadav has been added to Mumbai’s 14-member squad for the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy after he tendered an apology to the Mumbai Cricket Association for retweeting a post on Twitter that questioned his exclusion from the team for the Inter-state T20 tournament.”The president has accepted his apology and he has been cleared to play in the Vijay Hazare tournament. Surya had sent a letter yesterday and met with the president [Ashish Shelar] today,” MCA joint-secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar told ESPNcricinfo. “Surya wrote in his letter that such things wouldn’t happen in the future. He also said that it was the agency [that manages him] that had retweeted the post.”The Mumbai batsman had earlier been asked to show cause and appear before the MCA’s managing committee. Consequently, Suryakumar’s selection for the Vijay Hazare Trophy inter-state one-day tournament had been withheld pending the committee’s decision.Khanvilkar said on Tuesday that players were not allowed to comment on selection decisions on social media. Suryakumar, 26, has been involved in a few controversies over the last few years. Last year, Suryakumar was let off with a warning for tweeting his displeasure at opener Jay Bista’s omission from the Mumbai side for their semi-final game against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He had also quit as Mumbai captain midway through an underwhelming 2014-15 season. At that point he was reprimanded by MCA officials after some players complained against him for using abusive language on the field and in the dressing room.Mumbai will take on defending champions Gujarat in the opening match of the tournament on February 25.