I wanted time off to reflect on myself: Pandya on his absence from Indian team

BPL 2022 | Sacked Mehidy Hasan almost exits Chattogram Challengers

Chattogram Challengers almost suffered a big blow on Sunday, 30 January after their star all rounder and currently the leading wicket taker of the tournament Mehidy Hasan decided to exit the team. Hasan was set to return to Dhaka citing his mother’s illness, a day after Naeem Islam replaced him as the captain of the franchise. However, he was talked out of it, but did not train with the team on the day. "I am leaving for Dhaka today (January 30) maintaining all the protocols. I have informed the BCB CEO and my team that I want to return to Dhaka in the evening as my mother is sick," Mehidy had said. Challengers, who are ranked at the top of the table, had a turbulent couple of days with their coach Paul Nixon leaving for Leicestershire on an “emergency call”. ESPNcricinfo quoted Team Manager Fahim Muntasir stating that it was on Nixon’s recommendation that they changed the leadership. As of the coaching position, bowling coach Shaun Tait has been elevated to head coach’s level. Hasan, later on singled out team CEO Yasir Alam for the whole incident and stated that he would not play if he is around.

PSL 2022: Wahab Riaz escapes injury scare

Returning Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz escaped a scary injury after a horrific fall on Sunday, January 2022. Riaz, while on the run up to bowl his first ball, got his boot stuck on the ground and ended up falling horribly on his bowling arm. Medics had to be called on the ground, but the veteran stood up and finished his remaining number of balls. Watch the incident here At the time of writing, Zalmi were not able to put up much resistance against the attacking intent of Islamabad United and were struggling to contain the scoring rate. Islamabad were batting at 121/1 after 10.5 overs.

WI vs ENG: Captain Moeen Ali’s perfect day out sets series up for an exciting finish

Stand-in captain Moeen Ali had an exceptional outing on Sunday, 30 January to set up an exciting finish to the bilateral series. Playing the fourth game of the match, Ali was upped to the mantle of captaincy after Eoin Morgan was declared injured after hurting his quadriceps on Wednesday and Ali delivered in style. Combining with Adil Rashid in the middle overs of the game, Ali removed both openers while Rashid kept the score rate in check building pressure from one end. Chasing 194 runs in the second innings, West Indies lost four wickets between the eight and the 14th over that sealed their fate in the game. Windies scored just 33 runs in that phase of play, and the stoppage in runs ended them being restricted to just 159 runs in 20 overs. Earlier in the day, West Indies were on top in the initial overs of the game dismissing Tom Banton in the second over. However, Moeen Ali shouldered the entire batting line up and started the rebuilding act at the time when opener Jason Roy was struggling to find the middle of the ball. Ali struck gold in the 18th over of the game, depositing Jason Holder for four consecutive sixes. This put England up to 193 runs for the loss of six wickets, which they later returned to defend comfortably.

'My main aim is to play for the country again' - Dinesh Karthik targets India comeback

India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is aiming to make a comeback in the national side, preferably in the T20Is. Karthik last represented India in the 2019 ODI World Cup and since then has spent his time playing in the IPL and representing Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. With the team management looking towards the future, Karthik’s chances of making a comeback at the highest level appear bleak. However, the 36-year-old cricketer is still hopeful about donning the blue jersey again in his career. "I genuinely harbour the ambition of playing for the country again and I want to do everything possible, that is my ultimate goal. I train and practice, everything I do right now is working towards that goal. The next three years for me is about playing the sport and doing everything I can. I enjoy playing the sport," Karthik told ANI. Looking to play the role of the finisher, Karthik asserted that he will aim to fit himself into India's T20I squad. "My main aim is to play for the country again, especially the T20 format. T20 is something, the fire is still burning very brightly. Even in the last T20 World Cup, one of the main areas is a finisher and that is a role I am looking at very keenly. Over the period of time, the stats and performances show that I have done a decent job in the limited time I have spent in Indian colours and the franchises I have played for," he added. Karthik also had a brief commentary stint during India's tour of England last year, his on-point analysis was appreciated by the fans. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer shared that he sees commentary as a full-time job post his retirement as a player. "Obviously, I have enjoyed the commentary stint, but this is something I want to pursue in a serious fashion when I hang up my boots which I am planning to not do very soon. I think for me, playing the sport is of utmost importance and I want to do that for a bare minimum of three years," Karthik concluded.