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Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis, both back to the Zimbabwe fold after county stints, have been included in the Test squad for the two-match series against West Indies starting on Saturday in Bulawayo. Solomon Mire, the Australian-based allrounder who is also in the 16-member squad, is in line to make his Test debut.Zimbabwe have made seven changes to the squad that last played a Test, in Sri Lanka in July, with no space for Ryan Burl, Tendai Chatara, Tarisai Musakanda, Carl Mumba, Natsai Mushangwe, Nathan Waller and Donald Tiripano. Of these, Chatara is the only one missing out due to injury.

Zimbabwe squad

Graeme Cremer (capt), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Peter Moor, Regis Chakabva (wk), Michael Chinouya, Chris Mpofu, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chisoro, Nyasha Mayavo

Wicketkeeper Nyasha Mayavo and left-armer Tendai Chisoro are the other uncapped players in the squad. However, Mayavo could miss out to regular gloveman Regis Chakabva and Chisoro may have to battle for his place alongside veterans Chris Mpofu, the returning Jarvis and Michael Chinouya, who wasn’t part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka. Chamu Chibhabha, also not part of the Sri Lanka squad, has been included.The new-look squad heralds the start of a new era in Zimbabwe cricket, with the board having actively sought the return of players who left seeking financial stability elsewhere. With a more secure governance structure in place under new managing director Faisal Hasnain, convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu has been able to convince Taylor, Jarvis and Mire to return.While Jarvis is certain to open the bowling and add much-needed pace, swing and aggression to a usually pedestrian Zimbabwe attack, Taylor and Mire will slot into a line-up that is taking on a more solid appearance. Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, PJ Moor and Sikandar Raza have all recently scored Test centuries, adding to Zimbabwe’s new-found confidence.Though Zimbabwe’s main aim over the next few months is to work towards 2019 World Cup qualification, they are also seeking to play more Tests, more so now following the addition of two new Full Members in Ireland and Afghanistan.Apart from hosting West Indies, they are also slated to travel to South Africa for the inaugural four-day Test, which will also be played under lights, in December. There is also talk of a series against Afghanistan, possibly in the UAE, before they host the World Cup qualifiers in March.Zimbabwe last won a Test more than four years ago, against Pakistan in Harare. They have since lost nine Tests: five at home, three in Bangladesh and one in Sri Lanka.

Sharjeel Khan has been banned from all forms of cricket for five years for his role in the spot-fixing scandal that marred the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year. Sharjeel, playing for Islamabad United, was charged with five major breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code and was found guilty on all five counts by a three-man tribunal. Two-and-a-half years out of the five-year sentence are suspended, meaning Sharjeel, 28, cannot plot a return to cricket before the second half of 2019 at the earliest. Sharjeel was present at his sentencing but did not take questions.Potentially, his ban could have been for life, but he has been given the minimum punishment on all charges. Sharjeel’s lawyer, Shaigan Ijaz, said they would appeal against the ban.”We were expecting acquittal against the spot-fixing charges and we are going to appeal against them,” Ijaz said immediately after the verdict. “We are not complaining against the behaviour of the tribunal members, but we are objecting to the decision. As we understand, those three serious charges have not been proven. For now, we have concerns and will lodge an appeal after having a full, detailed order in the next 14 days.”Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB’s prosecutor in the case, called it a “sad day”, but said the player had been found guilty on all counts and the board’s case against the player had been vindicated. “The suspended sentence isn’t defined as yet in the PCB anti-corruption code as there is a limited provision. Just because two-and-a-half years of the sentence are suspended doesn’t mean the player can automatically be eligible to play after completing half his sentence. There is a complete process of rehabilitation, and many more conditions to be met before reintegration.”In a statement following the tribunal verdict, PCB chairman Najam Sethi said: “The anti-corruption tribunal’s verdict against Sharjeel Khan is a vindication of our policy of zero tolerance against corrupt practices in the game of cricket. The PCB Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Department deserves great credit for identifying the culprits and nipping the spot-fixing scandal in the bud through their prompt action. The PCB hopes that the three remaining players will be dealt with in accordance to the proportionality of their offences. The PCB will continue to fight all corrupt elements that attempt to tarnish the game both at the domestic and international level.”Sharjeel’s ban will take effect from when he was first suspended, on February 10, 2017.The verdict puts on hold, at best till mid-2019 and at worst permanently, what was shaping up to be a promising international career. Since his return to the ODI side last year in August Sharjeel was averaging over 44 as an opener but more importantly, given Pakistan’s batting problems, scoring at a strike rate of 130.37. That run came into bloom on the tour to Australia earlier this year, where he broke into the Test side and then finished Pakistan’s second-highest scorer in the ODI series with three fifties. Barely two weeks after his last innings for Pakistan, a 69-ball 79 in Adelaide, he had been provisionally suspended by the PCB.Sharjeel was one of six current or former Pakistani internationals implicated in the case, in itself a blot not only on the promising start to a valuable PCB product, but also to the board’s efforts to fight corruption after the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal of 2010. Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Nawaz have already been punished, for the relatively lesser indiscretions of failure to report corrupt approaches.Tribunal proceedings for Sharjeel’s Islamabad team-mate Khalid Latif, and former Pakistan openers Nasir Jamshed and Shahzaib Hasan are still underway, however. A verdict is expected on Latif after the Eid break, as well as the next hearing for Shahzaib. Jamshed, who the PCB believe is a central figure in the case but is currently facing charges only of failure to cooperate with the investigation, will next appear before the tribunal on September 19.There was no immediate comment from Islamabad United, the PSL franchise that three of the players – Sharjeel, Latif and Irfan – played for. But it is understood that Sharjeel and Latif’s contracts with them were terminated when they were suspended by the PCB.

Trent Bridge has been the home of the T20 runfest this season, yielding a mouthwatering 10.45 runs per over, almost two runs per over higher than the competition average. Nottinghamshire have exploited it spectacularly to their advantage, twice making 225 or higher. Bowlers have suffered badly.So if any team might have fancied they could put Nottinghamshire’s somewhat fragile record in quarter-finals in this competition under pressure, even with no Chris Gayle around, you would imagine Somerset could be the one, maybe even more after home captain Dan Christian invited them to set the scoreboard pressure by inviting them to bat first.Samit Patel put Nottinghamshire’s chase back on track•Getty Images

What’s more, Somerset figure in Nottinghamshire’s T20 nightmares, too, having beaten them on Finals Day in 2010 and again, at the quarter-final stage the following year, on this ground, beginning a sequence that saw the Trent Bridge fall at this stage of the competition in four consecutive seasons, each time in front of their own supporters.Not on this occasion. Against all predictions, Somerset could muster probably less than 75% of what they would have estimated as necessary if Alex Hales or Riki Wessels were to get going. Their 20-over score was 32 fewer than the lowest here in the group stages this season. It did not augur well.Yet Nottinghamshire hardly coasted home, losing Wessels third ball when he smacked a long hop from legspinner Max Waller straight to Craig Overton on the midwicket boundary, and then Hales in the fourth, controversially, in an incident that was to cast Peter Trego, the tattooed pirate in the West Country side, in the role of pantomime villain for the rest of the evening.Hales, who had looked to be warming up nicely with three boundaries off Overton’s opening over, hit a ball from Lewis Gregory, in the air but dipping fast, in the direction of Trego at mid-off.Trego dived forward, claiming the catch. The on-field decision from umpire David Millns was out, but Hales looked at him, not convinced. The officials conferred, and called for help. Replay after replay on the big screen were inconclusive, yet to the majority in the 13,000 crowd focussed on the angles that seemed to show Trego guilty of a false claim. They booed, they shouted ‘cheat’.Trego – who had made 40 off 34 balls earlier before being brilliantly caught off a pull shot by a diving Jake Ball – simply loved it, especially when the big screen eventually proclaimed that Hales indeed was out. He cocked an ear to the crowd, encouraging them to boo more loudly.The mood was suddenly subdued and Nottinghamshire struggled to get going for a long time. At 44 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay, Tom Moores having gone to a catch by Roelof van der Merwe that was almost the equal of Ball’s, they were ahead of Somerset at that stage, but only by seven runs.By the end of the 10th, in which Brendan Taylor was run out by a direct hit from Johann Myburgh at short square-leg, they were behind by seven runs at 69 for 4. For a while, it seemed Somerset might be about in bring heartache to the East Midlands again, as they did in 2011, and as Hampshire and Glamorgan have brought to Derbyshire and Leicestershire already in this season’s quarter-finals.Happily, for the home crowd, everything was transformed in a burst of scoring between the 12th and 14th overs, as Samit Patel and Dan Christian at last found their range. The two shared a 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket, of which 39 came in those three overs, as Tim Groenwald, Waller and Paul van Meekeren in turn were punished.The pressure off, the requirement down to 39 from six overs, the rest was relatively easy. Patel went for 45, run out by some nifty footwork by Gregory on his follow-through, but a big 18th over, with a six apiece from Christian and Steven Mullaney, ensured there would be no late scares, Mullaney lofting the winning boundary off Gregory in the 19th.Christian finished unbeaten on 36 but the difference at this batsman’s paradise was the quality of the bowling, in the end. Nottinghamshire’s was tight, penetrating, testing almost throughout.Ball, Christian and Patel took two wickets each – Ball’s in the course of that T20 rarity, a maiden over – but it was the numbers in the economy column that were the most impressive. Ball and Christian conceded fewer than six runs per over, Patel only 6.50.Steven Davies batted well for his 59, hitting three sixes and five fours, but needed support that only Trego could provide. Myburgh and James Hildreth, two of their bankers in the absence of their injured skipper, Jim Allenby, both went first ball.

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?

Sri Lanka fast bowler Shaminda Eranga’s bowling action has been cleared and he can resume bowling in international cricket. Eranga underwent a reassessment of his action at the ICC accredited testing centre in Chennai with the conclusion that the amount of elbow extension in his standard deliveries was within the 15-degree level allowed by the ICC.Eranga’s bowling action was found illegal in June last year after it was reported following the second Test in England. His action was assessed in Loughborough on June 6 when it was found illegal.Incidentally, he was suspended from bowling in international cricket on the same day as he was hospitalised for experiencing an elevated heartbeat.Eranga had played the third Test against England after his action was reported and the subsequent two ODIs against Ireland in June. He has not played any competitive cricket since then.

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.