Welcome to Thursday’s live cricket blog!
The Sport360 team is in place bringing you the latest news from the world of cricket including updates from the fifth and final ODI between India and the West Indies. We will also bringing you the reactions from Pakistan’s two-run win over New Zealand in the first T20.
5:30pm – Nuwan Zoya sent on compulsory leave by SLC
Sri Lanka Cricket have sent bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa on compulsory leave after he was charged with breaching three counts of ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code.
The Sri Lanka A team bowling coach has been involved with the coaching setup since September 2015 and is the second Sri Lankan to be charged by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) within the last month.
Read more on this development here.
Zoysa (l) has become the second Sri Lankan to be charged in a month.
5:00pm – Pakistan’s Azhar Ali retires from ODI cricket
Pakistan veteran Azhar Ali has announced his retirement from ODI cricket at a press conference in Lahore on Thursday.
The 33-year-old has decided not to continue playing in the 50-over format to allow youngsters from Pakistan to get their chance.
Read more on this breaking story including Azhar’s retirement statement here.
End of the road in ODIs for Azhar Ali.
2:30pm – David Peever resigns as Cricket Australia chairman
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever quit Thursday after coming under intense pressure over a ball-tampering scandal which has triggered an exodus of senior figures and long bans for three players.
The former Rio Tinto mining executive was only voted in for a new three-year term last week, days before a scathing independent review sparked by the cheating row slammed the governing body.
Read more on this breaking story here.
David Peever has submitted his resignation.
2:15pm – West Indies bowled out for 104 in final ODI against India
West Indies’ innings in the final ODI against India at Thiruvananthapuram has drawn to a close and it has been a brief affair. The visitors have been bowled out for just 104 runs inside 32 overs after electing to bat first. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of India’s bowlers with the four-wicket haul.
Do not miss any of the action from India’s chase by following our live coverage here.
Ravindra Jadeja (c).
1:30pm – Sri Lanka Cricket releases players for inaugural UAET20X
The Sri Lankan cricket board on Thursday granted its players the permission to play in the upcoming UAE T20x, a newly launched T20 franchise league.
With this decision, Sri Lanka Cricket joins other full member nations including England, West-Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland along with 16 associate members; all of which have allowed its players to participate in the UAE T20x.
Read more on this story here.
The Sri Lankans including Malinga are coming to the UAE.
1:00pm – PCB defend Wasim Akram’s appointment to cricket committee
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has defended its appointment of Wasim Akram to the newly formed cricket committee despite the former Pakistan skipper’s indictment for non-cooperation in the Justice Qayyum commission report on match-fixing.
Read the PCB’s statement in full here.
Former Pakistan skipper: Wasim Akram.
12:00pm – West Indies bat first in final ODI against India
The toss for the fifth and final ODI between India and the West Indies has concluded and it is Jason Holder who has won it. The Windies skipper has elected to bat first at Thiruvananthapuram with his side trailing 1-2 in the five-match series.
India have fielded an unchanged playing XI from their 224-run win in the fourth ODI.
Do not miss any of the action in the series decider by following our live ball-by-ball coverage here.
West Indies will bat first in the series decider. Image -ICC/Twitter.
11:30am – England’s final warm-up game washed out
England suffered a setback in their preparations for next week’s first Test against Sri Lanka after their opening day of their final warm-up was washed out.
The tourists had not even left their hotel when the decision was taken to abandon the day’s play against a Board XI at Colombo Cricket Club.
Read more on England’s setback here.
Coach Paul Farbrace leaves the ground after a practice match was called off due to heavy rain
11:00am – MS Dhoni on verge of special milestone for India
India and West Indies will lock horns in the fifth and final ODI between the two sides at Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. The hosts currently lead the series 2-1 and could seal their sixth successive bilateral series win at home with victory on Thursday.
Veteran wicketkeeper batsman MS Dhoni is on the verge of completing 10,000 ODI runs for India. That and more is among our talking points ahead of the clash.
MS Dhoni requires just a single run to complete 10,000 ODI runs for India
10:00am – Root warns Warner to expect hostile reception in England
Joe Root had words of caution for David Warner about a potential “hostile environment” in England if the Australian features in the Ashes next year.
The statement was in reference to Warner briefly walking off the pitch in an NSW Premier match after he was allegedly sledged by Jason Hughes, the brother of late Phillip Hughes.
Read Root’s quotes in full here.
David Warner is serving a one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal.
