Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 20 July.
Kohli, Rahane miss the warm-up game due to niggles
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane missed the three-day warm-up against County Select XI in Chester-le-Street due to fitness concerns. Kohli ‘felt some stiffness in his back’, while Rahane had ‘mild swelling around his left upper hamstring’, BCCI confirmed in a statement. Rohit Sharma led India Men in Kohli’s absence.
Avesh Khan, who was representing the County Select XI, had to leave the field after bowling 9.5 overs. He was hit by a shot from Hanuma Vihari which hurt his thumb.
England Men Test players to feature in two Hundred games each
England Men players, who are part of the Test series against India, have made themselves available for the first two rounds in the inaugural season of the Hundred. The tournament will begin on 21 July, and run until 21 August.
Earlier, the ECB had hoped that they would be available for three group games but it changed the mind to minimise their risk of Covid-19 infection. However, the board is yet to take a decision on their availability for the knockout stages, which will take place between the second and third Test match against India.
The five-match series between England and India will get underway on 4 August, at Trent Bridge.
ICC Women Rankings: Mandhana reaches career-best third spot, Raj regains top spot
Smriti Mandhana reached a career-best third spot among women T20I batters, thanks to her 51-ball 70 in the third and final match against England. Danni Wyatt, too, moved up four places to 17th after hitting an unbeaten 89 in that same match to guide England clinch the series 2-1.
Elsewhere, Mithali Raj climbed back to the top of the ODI batters despite missing in action last week. It happened after Stafanie Taylor lost 30 points following her 49 and 21 in the last two matches against Pakistan. This is the ninth time in Raj’s illustrious career to achieve the feat.
Rikki Clarke to retire after a 21-year career
Surrey’s Rikki Clarke will retire at the end of the English summer after a career spanning over 21 years. He has played 668 matches in all formats, picking up 795 wickets and aggregating 17,750 runs. He previously played for Derbyshire and Warwickshire.
Clarke played a pivotal role in winning two County Championships with Surrey. He had also won one County title with Warwickshire and four limited-overs titles in total.
In 2003, Clarke featured two Test matches for England, against Bangladesh, and also played 20 ODIs.