India will begin its seven-week home series against the West Indies with a Test match at Rajkot on October 4, less than a week after the completion of the Asia Cup. The BCCI announced the fixtures of the home series against West Indies which will culminate on November 11. India will play two Tests, five ODIs & three T20Is during this period,” BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary said. The opening Test will be held in Rajkot from October 4 to 8, followed by the second Test from October 12 to 16 at Hyderabad. The five-match ODI series will begin on October 21 at Guwahati, followed by the second ODI on October 24th at Indore and third ODI at Pune on October 27th. The final two One-Day International (ODI) will be held at Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram on October 29th and November 1. The one-dayers will be followed by the three T20 Internationals to be held at Kolkata (November 4), Lucknow (November 6) and Chennai (November 11).
Vijay signs for Essex county stint
India opener Muraly Vijay signed for county side Essex for the remainder of the 2018 County Championship season. After being excluded from the Indian squad for the final two Tests against England, Vijay played a couple of one-day matches for local club Jolly Rovers here, but he has now decided to head back to England and get his first taste of playing county cricket. He will join with the squad immediately as a replacement for Australian pacer Peter Siddle. The 34-year-old will be available for Essex’s final three games of the season, starting with the clash against Nottinghamshire. Essex will then take on Worcestershire from September 18-21 before ending their season with a game against Surrey from September 24-27.
Ex-India pacer RP Singh calls it a day
Former Indian fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Announcing the same on his official Twitter handle, the 32-year-old said that there is no easy way to say goodbye, but added that it is the right time to call it quits. “Today as I hang (up) my boots and call it a day I wish to remember and give thanks to each and everyone who made this journey possible,” Singh wrote. The pacer, who made his international debut during an ODI against Zimbabwe in 2005, played a crucial role in India's title-clinching campaign at the 2007 T20 World Cup. In Tests, Singh debuted against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2006 and bagged the ‘Man of the Match’ award for scalping a five-wicket haul on a flat track. Singh played a total of 14 Tests and took 40 wickets with an economy rate of 3.98.
Kiwi Bradburn is new Pak fielding coach
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s search for a top fielding coach has finally ended with New Zealand's Grant Bradburn slated to join the national team in the UAE for the Asia Cup tournament this month. The Pakistan board said it had appointed Bradburn on a three-year contract. The New Zealander replaces Australian Steve Rixon who didn't extend his contract with the Pakistan team after it ended this year with the tour of England in June. Bradburn who played seven Tests and 11 ODIs for his country as an off-spinner and lower-order batsman was attached with the Scotland team before confirming his assignment with the Pakistan side.
