Let us look at some of the most-discussed cricket stories on the news on 23 August.
Wood out of third Test
Mark Wood will miss the third Test between England and India after suffering a shoulder injury. He hurt his right shoulder while fielding on Day 4 of the second Test at Lord’s. He will continue his rehabilitation with England medical team, and will be assessed at the end of the match.
With Saqib Mahmood and Craig Overton already in the squad as seaming options, England have not announced any replacement of Wood for the Headingley Test yet. The third Test of the five-match series between the two sides will begin on 25 August at Headingley, with India leading 1-0.
Afghanistan-Pakistan ODIs shifted to Pakistan from Sri Lanka
Afghanistan-Pakistan ODIs shifted to Pakistan from Sri Lanka been moved from Sri Lanka to Pakistan because of logistical challenges in the travel plans of the Afghanistan squad. The Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Hamid Shinwari confirmed the development to ESPNcricinfo.
The decision came after the Sri Lanka government announced a 10-day lockdown from 20 August, two days after the country reported 3,793 new Covid-19 cases. They also saw the highest-ever single-day death toll of 187 on that date.
No commercial flight has been taking off from Kabul following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan contingent initially planned to travel to Pakistan by road before flying to Dubai, and then reach Colombo. However, the roundabout route, along with logistical challenges because of the Covid-19 protocols forced them to change the plan.
The ODI series will begin on 3 September but the ACB is yet to announce the venues.
Shardul fit to play Headingley Test
Shardul Thakur is fit for the third Test match between England and India, at Headingley, as confirmed by Ajinkya Rahane in a virtual media interaction. ‘Shardul is fit and fine. He is ready for selection,’ Rahane stated.
Shardul played the first Test at Trent Bridge earlier this month, but suffered a hamstring injury during a training session at Lord’s for the second match. It forced him to rule out of the game. India replaced him with Ishant Sharma.
Boucher apologises for previous racist behaviour
Mark Boucher, head coach of the South African Men’s team, has apologised for his racist behaviour during his playing days. He submitted a statement to Cricket South Africa's Social Justice and Nation Building hearings.
Last month, Paul Adams revealed in hearings that Boucher had called him ’brown s**t’ at meetings during the late 1990s. Boucher responded with ‘I apologise unreservedly for any offensive conduct, real or perceived, that has been attributed to me. We, the team, coaching staff, selectors and CSA, during the period in question, should have been more sensitive and created an environment where all members of the team could raise and talk about these issues without allowing them to fester, as they clearly have.’