Eoin Morgan, England’s one-day captain, says that his family were “very offended” by the criticism that he received after withdrawing from the tour of Bangladesh

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai09-Jan-20171:47

‘Don’t regret’ skipping Bangladesh tour – Morgan

Eoin Morgan, England’s one-day captain, says that his family were “very offended” by the criticism that he received after withdrawing from the tour of Bangladesh on security grounds last year, but has expressed his excitement at returning to national colours with a heavy diet of white-ball cricket in the build-up to the Champions Trophy in June.Morgan, 30, has not played for England since the visit of Pakistan in September last year, after he and Alex Hales chose not to travel to Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series in October, following terror attacks in the country earlier in the year.Although Andrew Strauss, the managing director of England cricket, had assured the players that there would be “no consequences” for missing the tour, there was a considerable backlash in the English media over Morgan’s failure to lead his side from the front, especially in light of the unprecedented levels of security granted to the team.Morgan, however, maintained that he didn’t regret the decision, insisting that he had been unaffected by the furore even if his family were less comfortable with the backlash.”My way of dealing with it was to get away from things, which I did,” he told BBC Radio. “My family saw a lot of it and were very offended, but that is part and parcel of being in the limelight.”As a decision, I am very comfortable with [it] and it’s a decision I considered all consequences when I did, and sitting here or sitting at home, wherever I would have been sitting, I’d have been very comfortable with it.”Eoin Morgan found his form for Sydney Thunder in the BBL last week•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In Morgan’s absence, Jos Buttler led England to a hard-fought 2-1 series win, and the regular skipper was full of praise for the manner in which his stand-in had stepped into the breach.”I think he [Buttler] really enjoyed the leadership role within the group,” Morgan said during his earlier press conference. “The proof was in the performances. I thought he was outstanding [in] the way senior players reacted, Ben Stokes in particular. In the first game when Ben played a screamer on a wicket that wasn’t that easy for us to come on and start the series. The younger guys reacted well and the senior guys led the way.”While Morgan believes, with some justification, that his success in leading England’s revival in white-ball cricket has earned him some leeway with the selectors, his absence in Bangladesh not only came at the end of a year in which he averaged less than 30 in 25 matches across all formats, it offered an opportunity for other candidates to stake a claim to a middle-order berth.In particular, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Billings can expect a fair hearing ahead of the Champions Trophy, while Ben Duckett, who scored two fifties in Bangladesh, was deemed by coach Trevor Bayliss to have been “desperately unlucky” to miss out on the limited-overs tour to India.”We’ve a couple of series in the next five-six months which is going to be a big part in our lead up towards the [Champions Trophy],” he said. “It is exciting that we’ve only white-ball cricket between now and then. The major part of that is getting some cricket under my belt in the run into the series, which I’ve managed to do. I am really excited, and everybody within the group is as excited as I am.”If there were any doubts about Morgan’s current form and focus, then his sign-off performance for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League last week was a good indicator. His final innings before departing for India was an unbeaten 50-ball 71 that culminated in a match-winning last-ball six. Despite that, however, he knows not to take his England place for granted.”Nothing is a certainty. Absolutely nothing,” he said. “I’d like to think that things have gone pretty well for us, and over a small period of time we have had a little bit of success, like I have added. But, again we have a fantastic group of players – very talented, very driven and they want to do well.Right up there in the “little bit of success” were England’s series wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh. After England had made 444 against Pakistan in Trent Bridge, Hales said he had to pinch himself in disbelief. Morgan believed England’s mindset had remained positive in the past as well, but their recent consistency had caught even him by surprise.”I think before we played a game together as a group, which was just under two years ago now, there’s always that nerves and anticipation about what’s to come,” he said. “I think the general mindset and attitude in which we went about our business was the right way, but the skill level doesn’t always deliver behind that. I’ve been surprised that the level of skill and consistency we’ve shown between now and then… I think it is impressive.”Everybody within the group, and how well we’ve grown and learnt in that time, has been accelerated by the bit of success. Obviously, playing abroad is different challenge, a challenge which everybody is looking forward to. India is a great place to come and win the series. It means that much more because they are very, very good at home.”The scars of the drubbing in the Test series, he felt, wouldn’t have a bearing on this team. “I think they are very motivated individually. Regardless of which format has been played first, the side has generally improved as the tour has gone on. Since the side has been together, there has been no backlash or repercussions from any performance earlier in the tour. I don’t expect it to have any effect.”

India captain Virat Kohli has said that while the bowling attack can change depending on conditions,constantly changing the batting line-up affects the confidence of the players

Mohammad Isam in Hyderabad08-Feb-20172:26

‘Rahane deserves to walk back into the team’ – Kohli

Virat Kohli has said that India are unlikely to make too many changes, particularly in their batting line-up, as the think-tank looks to back players and give them confidence. The India captain has also said that youngsters who have performed will be groomed further as the team looks to build on its bench strength.If India opt to not play six batsmen in this game, Karun Nair could miss out despite his triple-hundred in India’s previous Test. Kohli said that Nair has done well to stay in the squad but if it comes down to picking between the two players, the more established Ajinkya Rahane will get the call. Nair, who made his debut in the third Test against England in Mohali, got two more opportunities after Rahane was forced out due to a finger injury. India coach Anil Kumble had also said the side had not forgotten Rahane’s performances over the last two years.Kohli said that while certain conditions may dictate the selection of an extra pace bowler or spinner, the batting line-up is likely to be kept consistently similar”You need to back players for a long time for them to become match-winners and have long careers. I think bowlers can be switched according to conditions. You might want to play seamers or three spinners, some guys might have more pace or reverse swing, you can change those.”I think from a batting point of view you need big runs in Test cricket, and to chop and change continuously doesn’t let them gain confidence. People who have been regular in the XI need to be given a chance. If form or that kind of thing happens you are subject to that change, otherwise it’s important to back your top XI. At the same time, you need to keep those youngsters within the squad and groom them. I think communication is a big thing on that front and we do that very well with the management, conveying to the players what they want.”Kohli said that India’s bench is filled with cricketers who can step up to replace the incumbents when needed. “Bench strength gives you options when people are injured. That’s where it comes. An injury should not deplete a team; that’s something that bench strength contributes from. We are lucky to have guys who are up and ready for Test cricket. Jayant [Yadav] walked in beautifully. In T20s and one-dayers you saw [Yuzvendra] Chahal and Kedar [Jadhav] stepping up. We do have a pool of players who are coming up nicely. Credit obviously goes to the selectors for identifying them, and to the players as well who practise their disciplines regularly, that’s how you come up into that pool.”I think it’s a back-and-forth sort of thing where you identify players but they have to put in the effort, which they have. So we’ve been lucky. We have good bench strength going forward. God forbid if there is any injury, we have two-three guys to fill up positions,” he said.Kohli said that the India bowling attack’s patience during partnerships had helped them win seven of the eight home Tests this season, against New Zealand and England.”I think is what we have done well over the last four Test matches not before, I would say, is be patient when there’s been a partnership. I think there was one instance in West Indies in Jamaica when we kept going positive and we didn’t hold back and we couldn’t take 20 wickets and the bowlers got tired,” he said. “I think we have done the patience bit very well in the series against New Zealand and England, bogging down the batsman and earning the wickets in difficult situations in the game.”That’s something we want to do and to improve on as a team. When everyone is young, everyone is excited in the team. Sometimes people tend to get carried away and you don’t understand the importance of being patient.”But I think the guys have worked hard on their fitness, they don’t mind bowling dot balls without attacking the batsman throughout the day. They have the fitness to bowl all day in one channel and when the door opens, just sneak in. That’s the biggest learning we have had in the past season and we’d like to take that forward.”

Manchester United have already put an offer in to sign Vanderson before the summer window has even opened, according to a report from Sport via Sport Witness.

Who are Manchester United signing this summer?

The Red Devils have sealed themselves Champions League football for the next campaign, with Erik Ten Hag managing to lead his side to third in the Premier League during his first season in charge.

The Dutchman has managed to restore the highest level of European football to Old Trafford again and will now look to strengthen his team even further to make sure they are capable of competing on all fronts this campaign, as rivals Man City have over the course of this campaign.

One position the club have been looking to add to is at right-back. It seemed as though that slot could be filled by Jeremie Frimpong, with the defender a long-time target for the Red Devils and the interest in his signature seemingly still there. Current right-sided option Diogo Dalot has recently committed his future to the Old Trafford outfit by agreeing a new contract, but the Portuguese ace can provide depth on both flanks.

It appears as though a right-sided player is still on the club's agenda. That's according to a report from major Spanish paper Sport, via Sport Witness, that states the club have already tabled an offer to Vanderson prior to the window opening on June 14.

United have seemingly decided to launch their move early for the defender, who can also play further forward. They aren't alone in that though, with the report adding that there are offers from the Premier League, with only one coming from the Red Devils.

They'll face a battle to sign him then if that is the case, with Barcelona also keen to sign Vanderson next summer. However, it appears as though the Catalan giants would rather move for the youngster next summer – meaning Ten Hag is clear to bring him in, if they can do, during the close season this year.

Should Man United sign Vanderson?

The 21-year-old has impressed in France during his time with Monaco, as showcased by the player generating a 6.93 WhoScored rating over the course of the current campaign. That puts him as the fourth-highest rated player at the side over the course of the season – an impressive feat considering his age.

In addition, the youngster also has the second-best tackle and interception rates at the Ligue 1 side this year – showing just how capable of a defender he is already despite his youth.

Vanderson has also received high praise in the past from manager Phillipe Clement who declared that the youngster had made an "exceptional adaptation" at Monaco and that he is a "perfectionist" as a player.

The player then would be a good investment from United if they could pull off a deal. He is young, already proven at a decent level and has the ability to shore up their backline.

Australia batsman David Warner has leapt to the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings, a result of a sensational run in the format since the start of 2016. Warner has scored 1755 runs in 28 ODIs since early last year at an average of 65 and a strike-rate of 106.94, including nine hundreds and four fifties. Warner became the No. 1 ODI batsman for the first time in his career, overtaking AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.He capped the home ODI summer with a career-best 179 off just 128 balls in the fifth match in Adelaide, leading Australia to a 4-1 series win against Pakistan. Warner also won the Allan Border Medal for the second consecutive year and bagged the ODI Player of the Year title at the function, too. “It is a huge year for one-day cricket with the ICC Champions Trophy later this year and I am hoping I can take my good form into that tournament and help Australia lift the trophy for the third time,” Warner said.Pakistan batsman Babar Azam broke into the top 10 for the first time, gaining five spots to finish tenth. Azam also had a stellar year in ODIs: he has struck 938 runs in 16 games since the start of 2016, including three consecutive hundreds against West Indies in October.Azam became the joint-fastest batsman to 1000 ODI runs, reaching the landmark in 21 innings, equaling Sir Viv Richards’ record. He also became only the second Pakistan batsman to hit an ODI century against Australia in Australia, when he struck 100 in the fifth game in Adelaide.In the ODI bowlers rankings, Australia quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood made significant jumps after the Pakistan series. Starc moved up to second spot, from fourth, after picking up 15 wickets in the home ODI summer. In seven matches, he returned an average of 19.06 and an economy rate of just 4.67. Hazlewood jumped five places to fifth spot. He took 13 wickets in seven ODIs at an average of 23.46 and an economy rate of 4.70.After their 4-1 series loss against Australia, Pakistan continued to remain in danger of failing to directly qualify for the 2019 World Cup. They are currently in eighth place, two ranking points behind Bangladesh. Hosts England and the other top-seven sides as on September 30, 2017 will receive direct qualification for the event.

Leeds United defender Robin Koch could make a shock move to Manchester United in the summer transfer window, according to an update from reliable journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Is Robin Koch leaving Leeds?

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League last month, following a dismal campaign that eventually saw three different managers leave the club. It was a massive blow after three years back in the top flight, but the key now is for the Whites to rebuild under new owners 49ers Enterprises, making a swift return to the division in the process.

There is no question that relegation is going to make it difficult for Leeds to keep hold of a number of their key players, however, with many understandably not wanting to be plying their trade in the Championship in 2023/24, and choosing to remain at a higher level instead.

One of those who could move on is Koch, with the £38,000-a-week utility man's current Whites deal expiring at the end of next season. That means that this summer could begrudgingly be the best time to sell him, with some claims even emerging that he actually has a relegation clause which allows him to leave for free immediately.

Are Man United signing Koch?

Taking to Twitter, Sky reporter Plettenberg claimed that United are eyeing a summer move for the Leeds star, as they look to boost their squad options moving forward:

"News #Koch: He‘s on the shortlist of Man Utd! Loose talks took place. Confirmed."

While Koch is likely to move on – something that many Leeds fans would likely understand, given their current situation out of the Premier League – the idea of him moving to United could go down very badly with some.

There is a bitter rivalry that exists between the two clubs, so the fans seeing a Whites player move to one of their biggest adversaries could sour his legacy, which would be a shame after three good years at the club that have seen Koch make 77 appearances overall.

Ideally, the 26-year-old would stay put and sign a new deal – he is an eight-cap Germany international who has been hailed as a "machine" by teammate Max Wober – but that seems highly unlikely at this point.

The hope is that he opts not to join United, however, where he could not only struggle to be a regular starter, given the quality they have, but also affect his relationship with Leeds supporters at the same time.

Sri Lanka unravelled again, losing 10 for 103 and the series in the third ODI in Johannesburg

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnother day on tour, another collapse – Sri Lanka sank from 60 for no loss to 163 all out at the Wanderers, mis-hitting short balls, hanging their bats out to give catches behind the wicket, and in general committing the same batting mistakes that will have become familiar to their fans during the past six weeks. Of their diminutive target, South Africa made short work. AB de Villiers produced a clinical 60 not out to bring his team home in 32 overs, seven wickets in hand.The hosts were far from their best in their pink gear, dropping catches and attempting needless runs, but they did not need to be at their best. They have won the series now. The two remaining games are dead rubbers.De Villiers’ hot streak at the Wanderers

100.85 Average of AB De Villiers at the Wanderers . He has three hundreds and three fifties from 10 innings.

108 Balls remaining in South Africa’s innings. This is their fifth-quickest win against Sri Lanka. Two of these wins have come at the Wanderers.

3 Number of lower scores than 163 for Sri Lanka against South Africa while batting first. Incidentally in 2002 they were dismissed for 128 at the Wanderers.

7 Consecutive series wins for South Africa at home since 2013. They have won 20 out of the 25 matches played during this period.

The hosts’ bowlers were disciplined – Imran Tahir miserly and menacing in equal measure, as usual – but there was little in the surface to warrant Sri Lanka’s loss of 10 wickets for 103 runs. A little extra bounce – hardly a surprise at the Wanderers – was responsible for the wickets of Upul Tharanga, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne and Suranga Lakmal. Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva were caught behind. Sachith Pathirana left a stock legbreak which turned to hit his off stump. Such was the quality of their batting.If it wasn’t for a 65-minute delay due to the arrival of a swarm of bees, Sri Lanka’s innings would have been even shorter. Plenty noted that the bees had spent more time in the middle than most batsmen. Only Dickwella resisted for any notable length of time, his 74 studded with spunky square-of-the-wicket shots – usually timed impeccably. Of his teammates only three others made more than five, and only Tharanga breached 20.It was Dwaine Pretorius, playing in his fourth ODI after replacing Wayne Parnell in the XI, who took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19. He was tight with the new ball, and although not especially quick, was accurate with his variations. Tahir claimed 2 for 21 in 9.2 overs, and Kagiso Rabada got two scalps as well. South Africa’s fielding was not as effective as usual, but in his 100th ODI, Faf du Plessis nevertheless managed to complete his third spectacular one-handed grab of the series, when he sprang horizontally from second slip to intercept an edge from debutant Lahiru Madushanka.Though the scorecard will suggest Sri Lanka squandered a good foundation – the openers having made 60 together – in truth, their start was inauspicious. The first boundary came off a Dickwella top edge, and Tharanga was dropped on 11 soon after – the one-handed grab at second slip too tough for du Plessis, for once.At the end of the first Powerplay, however, Sri Lanka were well-placed at 54 for no loss, both batsmen having found some fluency. Pretorius bowled tightly from the beginning, but Rabada, who would have been seen as the primary wicket-taking threat in the innings, had even been a little expensive in those early overs.But when the openers both sent catches into the air off their top edges in the 12th over, things began to unravel quickly. The first of those chances – off Dickwella on 25 – was spilled by JP Duminy, who had backtracked from backward point. The second was secured by Pretorius, and the rapid fall of wickets had begun.Dwaine Pretorius, replacing Wayne Parnell, took the game’s best figures of 3 for 19•AFPAndile Phehlukwayo removed Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal in the space of three overs with two unremarkable deliveries. Chandimal, especially, will be unhappy with this dismissal on what has been a poor tour. Seeing a full, wide delivery, he went down on one knee and nailed it in the air straight to the deep cover sweeper.When de Silva fell, and following the delay, Gunaratne also went, Sri Lanka had slid to 125 for 5. Dickwella attacked for a little while, perhaps knowing there was not much batting to come, and fell by his sword when he gloved a Pretorius bouncer to the keeper. The tail barely resisted. It was all done inside 40 overs.Lahiru Kumara bowled with characteristic spirit on ODI debut, and claimed the wicket of Quinton de Kock in the fourth over with a 142kph short ball. But though he continued to threaten through the remainder of his overs, was wayward between the good balls, and conceded more than six an over.Kumara’s opening partner Suranga Lakmal was unlucky, as he has been through the tour, gleaning an edge off Hashim Amla on 12 only for wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal to grass the diving chance. But with so much batting in South Africa’s line-up, perhaps it wouldn’t have made a major difference to the final score. Amla ran himself out for 34 anyway, though by that stage de Villiers had already begun to take the chase by the collar.Early in his innings, de Villiers dominated Lakshan Sandakan, who had dismissed him in the previous ODI, and after about 20 balls at the crease, there was no bowler that de Villiers didn’t seem capable of dictating to. He was especially active on the legside – each of his five boundaries coming there – but that was more a reflection of the lines Sri Lanka bowled to him. He took clutches of singles out to deep cover as well, and generally made a small chase seem even smaller.Sri Lanka may take heart in the bowling of Madushanka, who swung the ball away, albeit at gentle pace, and seemed a player worth a few more games at least. Apart from him and Dickwella’s innings, there was precious little to salvage from this match.

Luis Diaz's disallowed goal for Liverpool in Saturday's 2-1 loss to Tottenham should have stood, English football's refereeing body has admitted.

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• Diaz scored in first half
• VAR did not change offside decision
• PGMOL says goal should have counted

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Colombia international thought he had given the Reds the lead in the clash at Spurs but the goal was flagged for offside.

  A VAR review was conducted but the decision was allowed to stand and Spurs went on to score a goal of their own moments later.

  Liverpool managed an equaliser but, having been reduced to nine men, ended up conceding a late own goal by Joel Matip right at the end to lose 2-1.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The game was overshadowed by controversial decisions, as before Diaz's disallowed goal, Curtis Jones saw an initial yellow card changed to a red after a VAR review for his collision with Yves Bissouma.

  The Reds ended up down to nine men in the second half when Diogo Jota was dismissed with two bookings in the space of a minute, although he did not seem to foul Destiny Udogie for his first booking.

  Coach Jurgen Klopp complained after the game that he "never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions."

• WHAT THEY SAID

  The Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), which oversees the referees in English football, conceded that the decision to chalk Diaz's goal off was wrong.

  "PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool," a statement read. "The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.

  "PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error. PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error."

  The statement did nothing to soften the blow for Reds boss Klopp, who said: "Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Man United game. Did Wolves get points for it? We will not get points for it so it doesn't help.

  "Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in, it might make things easier. I don't know why the people are that much under pressure. Today, the decision was made really quick for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game so that's how it is.

  "We score that goal, it was top, top, top, outstandingly well played. In a game where you don't get a lot, it's super important information. This is how we can hurt them, this is how we can beat them. So it was super difficult."

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Liverpool will try to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they take on Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League on Thursday.

Matt Turner will not figure for the USMNT against Oman, with the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper being recalled from international duty by his “boss”.

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Keeper played 90 minutes against UzbekistanHelped to pick up a clean sheetAttention shifting away from sporting mattersWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old shot-stopper played the full 90 minutes for his country as they collected a 3-0 friendly victory over Uzbekistan. Turner starred in that contest, earning Player of the Match recognition, but is now leaving Gregg Berhalter’s squad.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

That is because his partner, former NFL cheerleader Ashley Herron, is due to give birth to the couple’s second child. Turner had to get permission to travel to St. Louis during the international break, but it will be a case of one and out for him as his focus shifts away from professional matters and back to personal ones.

WHAT THEY SAID

Turner, whose son Eaton was born in June 2022, has told the USMNT’s of why he is heading home early: “It was a clear message from the boss back home that I needed to make sure that if I was going to come, that I was going to make it worth it. A clean sheet and a win is all I could ask for. Now focused completely on the safe delivery of our baby girl into the world.”

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Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Turner is up to 33 caps for his country and is enjoying a productive 2023-24 campaign. Alongside the imminent birth of his baby daughter, he has also been celebrating regular first team football at club level after completing a summer transfer from Arsenal to Forest.

According to Turkish outlet Sporx, Rangers have tabled an offer to sign Fenerbahce defender Bright Osayi-Samuel this summer.

Who is Bright Osayi-Samuel?

Currently plying his trade in the Turkish Super Lig, Osayi-Samuel made 37 appearances in all competitions for Fenerbahce last season, as his side missed out on the title by eight points to Galatasaray.

After joining the Turkish side in January of 2021, the defender is reportedly set to move on this summer, with a move to Rangers on the cards.

Having started out at Blackpool in 2015, before making the move to Queens Park Rangers in 2017, Osayi-Samuel has proven his quality in the past, and could make the step-up to a side of Rangers' calibre this summer.

Still only 25, too, the Nigerian has plenty of time to improve even further with a move elsewhere.

During his time in England, Osayi-Samuel made 79 appearances for Blackpool, before going on to make an impressive 115 for QPR – even scoring 13 and assisting another 13 goals during his time at the London club.

Could Osayi-Samuel improve Rangers?

The Gers are reportedly not alone in their interest, however, with Bournemouth and Leeds United also reportedly pursuing a move for the Fenerbahce defender. Given Osayi-Samuel's Championship experience, Leeds' interest may be particularly tempting for the Nigerian.

Statistically speaking, when compared to current Rangers fullback Borna Barisic, initial questions may rise whether the Scottish Premiership side would be signing an upgrade.

Barisic outperformed Osayi-Samuel in goals and assists, crosses per-90, and tackles won per-90, as per Fbref.

There were some positives, however, with the Fenerbahce man outperforming Barisic in interceptions and shots on target per-90.

The shots per 90 stat is particularly promising and suggests that goals could unexpectedly come from the full-back, who has been unlucky not to find the back of the net more times, considering the stat.

Meanwhile, Rangers would be getting themselves a player more than capable defensively, looking at his 0.97 interceptions per-90.

If not necessarily a starter, Osayi-Samuel would at the very least provide extra competition for the likes of Barisic, and add some squad depth to Michael Beale's Rangers side.

It'll certainly be interesting to see whether Rangers win the battle against the likes of Leeds and Bournemouth to sign the Fenerbahce full-back this summer who has previously been hailed "very talented" by his ex-manager Mark Warburton.

Bangladesh opening batsman Imrul Kayes has been ruled out of contention for the one-off Test against India, which starts on Thursday in Hyderabad

Mohammad Isam in Hyderabad06-Feb-2017

Bangladesh opening batsman Imrul Kayes has been ruled out of contention for the one-off Test against India, which starts on Thursday in Hyderabad. Imrul injured his left thigh while fielding on day two of the Bangladeshis’ tour match against India A at the Gymkhana ground.According to BCB media manager Rabeed Imam, it is a recurrence of the same injury that ruled Imrul out of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch last month.In Imrul’s absence, Soumya Sarkar – who replaced him in Christchurch, opened for the first time in Tests, and scored 86 and 36 – is likely to open alongside Tamim Iqbal in Hyderabad. Bangladesh have not called up an opener as Imrul’s replacement, instead flying in the middle-order batsman Mosaddek Hossain, who played the ODIs and T20s in New Zealand but was overlooked for the Tests.Imrul’s injury comes as a significant blow to Bangladesh ahead of their first-ever Test on Indian soil. While Imrul’s Test record is modest – 1432 runs at 28.64 – he and Tamim have forged what is by far Bangladesh’s most successful opening partnership. Together, they have scored 2205 runs, and average an impressive 47.93as a pair with four century stands.Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Subashis Roy, Liton Das (wk), Mominul Haque, Shafiul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain.