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Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo do not feature in the West Indies Test and ODI squads for West Indies’ upcoming tour of Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2011Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo do not feature in the West Indies Test and ODI squads for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been recalled to both squads, while offspinner Shane Shillingford, who underwent remedial work on an action that was deemed illegal last year, has made the Test side.Gayle has not played for West Indies since the 2011 World Cup, following a breakdown in his relationship with the West Indies board. He chose to participate in the IPL in April, after being left out of a training camp ahead of the home series against Pakistan. In a hard-hitting interview with KLAS Sports, he had questioned his treatment by members of the board, including chief executive Ernest Hilaire, and the coach Ottis Gibson, after he picked up an injury during the World Cup.Since then, Gayle had a series of discussions with the board, including a one-on-one with Hilaire on August 23. Though the discussion was reported to be “frank and excellent”, Gayle recently revealed that the stalemate was set to continue since he had refused to apologise to Gibson for statements made during the radio interview.”The outstanding matter relating to Chris Gayle’s availability and selection remains unresolved,” the board’s release read. “The WICB management will submit a report to the board of directors after which a conclusive statement will be made.”Bravo was not picked though he was considered for selection, while Sarwan was left out due to injury. Sarwan had been recalled for the home series against Pakistan and India, and looked in good touch during the India ODIs. He struggled in the Test series that followed, though, and missed the final match. Shivnarine Chanderpaul retained his spot in the Test side following a match-saving effort in the Basseterre Test.Ramdin’s return meant there was no place for Carlton Baugh in the ODI set-up, though Baugh was included in the Test side. Openers Kieran Powell and Kraigg Brathwaite, who made their Test debuts in the home season, also found places in the touring party, while Barbados allrounder Carlos Brathwaite got a maiden call-up to the ODI side.The tour begins on October 7 with the first of two warm-up matches, followed by a solitary Twenty20, three ODIs and two Tests. Darren Sammy will continue to lead the side.ODI and T20 squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl SimmonsTest squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Carlton Baugh (wk), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Kirk Edwards, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford.

MS Dhoni was India’s matchwinner once again, as he marshalled an asking-rate approaching ten an over to seal an unassailable 3-0 series lead in the third ODI at Mohali

The Report by Andrew Miller20-Oct-2011 India 300 for 5 (Rahane 91) beat England 298 for 4 (Trott 98*, Patel 70*) by five wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMS Dhoni finished the match off in typical style•AFPMS Dhoni was India’s matchwinner once again, as he marshalled an asking-rate approaching ten an over to seal an unassailable 3-0 series lead in the third ODI at Mohali. With Ravindra Jadeja alongside him, he clubbed Tim Bresnan for consecutive boundaries in the final over of the match to finish unbeaten on 35 from 31 balls, as England’s best total of the series – 298 for 4 – proved insufficient to keep the series alive.It was a sloppy fielding display from England in a match they could and should have won. Their own total had been built on another sheet-anchor performance from Jonathan Trott, who finished unbeaten on 98 from 116 balls, but the point-of-difference innings had been played by Samit Patel, whose career-best 70 from 43 balls enabled England to add 91 runs in their final ten overs. Given the history of chasing at Mohali – only five teams had previously managed it in 19 matches at the venue – their route back into the series was awaiting them.Instead, they produced a listless defence, with Ajinkya Rahane cruising along to 91 from 104 balls in a second-wicket stand of 111 with Gautam Gambhir. They managed just one wicket in the first 34 overs – a marginal lbw against Parthiv Patel, which broke an opening partnership of 79 – and though they rallied well to claim four wickets in an eight-over spell of dominance, their failure to take their chances cost them dear in the closing stages.The most culpable man was the wicketkeeper, Craig Kieswetter, who missed an early chance to remove Gambhir on 17, before dropping Virat Kohli off a Jade Dernbach bouncer at a crucial juncture. Kohli had been struggling to impose himself and should have gone for 4 from 12 balls, only for Kieswetter to spill the catch as his elbows hit the turf. Worse was to follow, however, when he trod on the stumps while attempting to run out Jadeja with 12 balls of the match remaining, and 17 runs still needed.That final error unsettled the under-pressure bowler Dernbach, who had earlier shown his frustration when Tim Bresnan let a four fly through his legs at backward point. He finished his spell with a wide and a no-ball beamer in an over that went for 10 runs, moments after Steven Finn – who had bowled superbly to concede 31 runs from his first nine overs – had been battered for 13 runs in his tenth.Regardless of England’s shortcomings, it was another hugely impressive display from India’s batsmen, with Rahane setting the game up superbly with the second half-century of his fledgling career. He picked off six fours in his innings – mostly through deft steers behind square – but the most telling feature of his innings was the ease with which he and Gambhir rotated the strike in the fallow middle overs. England were powerless to react as the gaps in their field were pinched at will, and it wasn’t until a rare misjudgement from Gambhir led to an impressive one-handed catch from Kevin Pietersen at cover that they found a foothold in the game.That wicket was due reward for another probing and pacey spell from Finn, and he doubled his tally three overs later when Rahane’s quest for a maiden hundred ended in a leading edge to Alastair Cook at mid-off. Suresh Raina then drilled Bresnan to cover for a third-ball duck to tilt the balance of power firmly in England’s direction, and when Kohli was trapped lbw by a sharp turner from Graeme Swann, India had slumped to 235 for 5 with nine overs remaining, and that target of 299 suddenly seemed a long way off. In the end though, Dhoni and Jadeja picked it off with aplomb.England owed their shot at victory to another solipsistic performance from Trott, whose tempo is immoveable regardless of the format of the game. This was his first significant innings since being named the ICC Cricketer of the Year, and it was a reprisal of the role he had played at the World Cup in March. He picked off eight boundaries after coming to the crease in the fourth over of the innings following the loss of Cook for 3, and was denied his fourth ODI hundred by a sharp piece of fielding at short fine leg, when he paddle-swept the penultimate ball of the innings for a single. Though he missed out on his milestone, the net gain was England’s, as Samit Patel blazed Vinay Kumar’s final ball of the innings into the long-on stands for six.The debate will rage about Trott’s approach to one-day cricket, but seeing as England collapsed in a heap in the first two matches, the backbone he provided to this performance was self-evident. Both of his major partners – Pietersen, who made 64 from 61 balls, and Patel – thrived on the right to go for their strokes, with Patel instrumental in belting 43 runs from the final 24 deliveries of England’s innings. With his place under threat after two inconsequential displays in the early part of the series, this was a timely reminder of his combative qualities, as he was pushed up to No. 6 ahead of Jonny Bairstow.Pietersen, meanwhile, produced his best one-day innings for many a month. He and Trott came together with England wobbling on 53 for 2, but the pair soon settled into a comfortable accumulative rhythm. Pietersen glanced his second ball through fine leg for four, and later launched a calculated assault on the swing of Praveen Kumar, who was bludgeoned for four fours in consecutive overs. He had a familiar aberration when the left-arm spin of Jadeja entered the attack, and would have run his partner out for 32 had the shy from midwicket been anywhere near Dhoni’s gloves. As it transpired, however, it was England’s own failure to run out Jadeja later in the game that would prove to be the decisive error.

With the pitch remaining seamer-friendly, Hashim Amla expects that swing will play a key role in South Africa’s quest to bowl Australia out on the final day

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers20-Nov-2011Dale Steyn may have the deciding say in the Wanderers Test, with both bat and ball. His cameo of 41 off 64 balls pushed South Africa’s lead past 300, and with the pitch remaining seamer-friendly, Hashim Amla expects that swing will play a key role in South Africa’s quest to bowl Australia out on the final day.”A lot of wickets have fallen with the older ball rather than the newer ball, and the ball was moving around a bit,” Amla said. “In Johannesburg it tends to swing more than at the coast.” With Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins saying “it swung for us for the 90 overs”, Steyn’s ability is set to come into play dramatically.He has found good rhythm in the Test and took 4 for 64 in the first innings, denied a five-for only through a dropped catch. On the fourth day, Steyn did not get a wicket and varied his lengths with little success, but he has shown himself to be a bowler that gets better in later spells.Rain is still expected but has yet to fall, leaving the air heaving with moisture and setting Steyn up for a match-changing spell, which Amla says has to begin early. “The morning sessions are crucial,” he said. “You have to hope you play good lines and try to score off the bad balls.”Although bowlers on both sides have struggled with consistency, Amla said that there is still enough in the pitch for them to make batting difficult. “It’s not an easy wicket to bat on. There are certain times in the game when it seems to be doing a little bit more than usual. If you string a good few overs together, there is a bit of movement off the seam through the air.”A target of over 300 has never been successfully chased at the Wanderers before, with the highest winning-score achieved there being 292, by Australia in 2006. Setting the visitors a challenge that would surpass that record mark gave South Africa a psychological edge, according to Amla. “Chasing over 300 is always daunting,” Amla said. “Steyn’s innings gave us momentum at the backend.”As Steyn showed, batsmen are equally capable of succeeding on this pitch, provided they approach their task with the man at the other end on their mind. “If the batters get a partnership going, they can score quickly,” Amla said.Australia would have the advantage of a set pairing had Usman Khawaja not been dismissed at the stroke of stumps. He shared a 122-run partnership with Ricky Ponting and showed exquisite technique, especially in his judgement of when to leave the ball, before Imran Tahir had him caught at slip. “Getting a wicket so late in the day was a big boost for us,” Amla said. “If we pick up an early wicket tomorrow morning, it will put a lot of pressure on them. You’d rather be in our change-room than in theirs.”The players left the field at 17.05, 25 minutes before the scheduled close. It was not quite all that dark yet, and the decision was thought to be premature. Amla said South Africa could have benefitted from more time in the middle, but will not dwell on the lost time. “The fact that we had just got a wicket might have given us some motivation to keep going but these things are out of our control,” he said. “We just do as we are told.”

Australia’s under-fire Test opener Phillip Hughes has withdrawn from the Big Bash League in order to focus on his form in the longer format

Brydon Coverdale14-Dec-2011Australia’s under-fire Test opener Phillip Hughes has withdrawn from the Big Bash League in order to focus on his form in the longer format. Although Hughes is expected to be axed from the side for the Boxing Day Test against India after a disappointing few months, he has not entirely given up on retaining his spot and does not want to be distracted by the BBL over the next two weeks.Hughes had signed for the Sydney Thunder, who begin their Twenty20 campaign on Saturday night against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG. Had Hughes played in that game, he would have needed to rush to Canberra on Sunday to prepare for Monday’s three-day Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI encounter against the Indians.That match is his last chance to impress the selectors ahead of Boxing Day, after he was caught in the cordon by Martin Guptill off Chris Martin in all four innings of the recent Test series as New Zealand exploited his weakness outside off stump. Since Simon Katich was dumped from Australia’s squad mid-year, Hughes has averaged 27.69 in Test cricket.”Following my performances over the last few months, I have decided that, right now, I need to be completely focus on my first-class cricket career,” Hughes said in a statement. “I’m obviously disappointed that I haven’t been able to score the runs in the last few Tests that I know I am capable of and I want to do everything I can to ensure that my game continues to develop.”I talked with Pup [captain Michael Clarke] and [coach] Mickey Arthur about it after the Hobart Test and they both supported my thinking. I then approached John Dyson (Sydney Thunder) and Pat Howard (Cricket Australia) to ensure that they would be comfortable for me to step away from my contract with the Thunder.”Selfishly, it’s the right decision for me but I’m obviously concerned that I have made this decision on the eve of the Thunder’s first game. Everyone has been extremely understanding and I wish the boys all the best for a successful Big Bash season. I’m now focusing on next week’s Chairman’s XI game in Canberra and can’t wait to face the Indian bowlers.”The Thunder will survive. Hughes would have been competing for top-order runs with Chris Gayle and David Warner had he played in the T20 competition, while Usman Khawaja is also part of the Thunder roster. And while Hughes deserves to be commended for his decision to concentrate on his form in the longer format, the move carries plenty of risk for him.Should he fail to impress in the Chairman’s XI match and win a place in the Boxing Day Test, he will have no first-class cricket to fall back on until the beginning of February, a T20 window having been created in the domestic calendar throughout January. That means Hughes would be trying to regain his touch in grade cricket and in the nets.Hughes, 23, has three Test hundreds to his name but his tendency to edge outside off became a fatal flaw during the New Zealand series and he will need to rectify it before he wins another chance in the Test side. Earlier this week it was announced that he would play county cricket with Worcestershire next season, where his technique will be tested.

Kurtis Patterson, the New South Wales batting prodigy, has knocked back an offer to take Phillip Hughes’ place on the roster of the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, in order to build conventionally on his history-making state debut

Daniel Brettig19-Dec-2011Kurtis Patterson, the young New South Wales batsman, has knocked back an offer to take Phillip Hughes’ place on the roster of the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash League, in order to build conventionally on his history-making state debut.A freewheeling 157 for the Blues against Western Australia in November made the 18-year-old Patterson the youngest debut centurion in Australian first-class cricket, and among the most talked about young batsmen in the world.His innings drew superlatives not only for its dimensions but also its style, characterised by fearless shotmaking and poise beyond Patterson’s years as he batted in the company of the vastly experienced Simon Katich.It caught the attention of many, and when Hughes elected to withdraw from the Thunder last week in his quest to rejuvenate his failing international career, the BBL team’s general manager John Dyson made an offer for Patterson to take the vacancy.However Patterson rebuffed the approach after some thought, preferring to concentrate on the forthcoming National Under-19s carnival, to be played in Adelaide in January, and a second XI appearance for New South Wales.Amid the hype and flash of the BBL, Hughes and Patterson have both elected, for differing reasons, to stay out of the spotlight.Hughes is playing for a CA Chairman’s XI against the Indians in Canberra over the next three days and has the chance to begin his journey back from the confusion that engulfed his batting in Brisbane and Hobart against New Zealand.”I talked with Pup [Michael Clarke] and Mickey Arthur about it after the Hobart Test and they both supported my thinking,” Hughes said of his decision to withdraw fro the Thunder. I then approached John Dyson [Sydney Thunder] and Pat Howard [Cricket Australia] to ensure that they would be comfortable for me to step away from my contract.”Selfishly, it’s the right decision for me but I’m obviously concerned that I have made this decision on the eve of the Thunder’s first game. Everyone has been extremely understanding and I wish the boys all the best for a successful Big Bash season.”It is expected that after this match Hughes will be given time to return to his family farm in Macksville for a chance to clear his head, and will then resume training in the New South Wales stable under the guidance of his personal coach Neil D’Costa.A similar sequence of rest followed by training a year ago helped Hughes emerge from the difficulties he experienced during the concluding three Tests of last summer’s Ashes series, resulting in burst of run-scoring that allowed him to retain his opening spot for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The spinner- and batsman-heavy nature of the Chittagong Kings squad is a Khaled Mahmud trademark, a no-nonsense approach on Bangladesh pitches that offer low bounce and limited turn

Mohammad Isam07-Feb-2012Big PictureThe most expensive BPL franchise does not have a lavish set of players. The owners of Chittagong Kings, SQ Sports, wisely handed over the team’s reins to the coach Khaled Mahmud, the former Bangladesh captain who is now the most sought-after team builder in domestic cricket.The spinner- and batsman-heavy nature of the Kings squad is a Mahmud trademark, a no-nonsense approach on Bangladesh pitches that offer low bounce and limited turn.Tamim Iqbal and Nasir Jamshed are the side’s attacking batsmen, while Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik will be expected to use the momentum from the Dhaka Premier League to make important contributions. Jahurul Islam is the in-form local batsman and will give the middle order solidity, while Ziaur Rahman and Shamsur Rahman will add firepower.Ultimately a lot will depend on Dwayne Bravo and the captain Mahmudullah, allrounders who will play key roles towards the middle and end of the Twenty20 matches.Muttiah Muralitharan, Enamul Haque and Jerome Taylor will be the attacking bowling options, while Arafat Sunny and Sanjamul Haque will be expected to contain. Lendl Simmons will share wicketkeeping duties with Jahurul, a balance that could work wonderfully for the franchise.Star AttractionThe success of the Kings could depend largely on Tamim Iqbal’s form. Among the two top names in Bangladesh cricket, the left-hand opener is a potential match-winner in this format. Tamim, however, hasn’t had the best of times of late. He’s suffered from poor form, injury and the odd controversy. A tournament like this could wake him from the slumber with the bat.Top playerOne of the top players in the Twenty20 market, Dwayne Bravo can be powerful with the bat, accurate with the ball and athletic in the field. In a team reliant on spin, Bravo could turn out to be the only seam option.Below the radarJahurul Islam is having a dream run in the Dhaka Premier League, scoring two centuries for Victoria Sporting Club before the BPL player auction. He ended up being one of three local cricketers to attract six-figure bids and the competition for the wicketkeeper-batsman was justifiable. His valuation of $110,000, higher than experienced local players like Faisal Hossain and Enamul Haque, was also not much of a surprise. Jahurul’s exclusion from the national side had baffled many and some runs in the BPL should be enough to secure his place.

Former RCA secretary Sanjay Dixit plans to challenge his suspension in court, criticises administration for handling of professionals

Tariq Engineer01-Mar-2012Rajasthan may have successfully defended their Ranji Trophy title this season, once again outclassing the more decorated first-class teams, but all is not well behind the scenes. The professionals who have been the pillars of the team’s success over the past two seasons have been sidelined, and an internal dispute has boiled over following the news that Lalit Modi intends to fight against the present administration.The first sign of discord appeared last month, when the three professionals – Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Aakash Chopra and Rashmi Parida – were clubbed with the non-playing members of the team for the distribution of prize money. That decision upset the players enough for Chopra to post about it on Twitter: “We, the professionals, are extremely hurt at being treated as non-playing members. It’s not about the money but the respect n [sic] justice.”The three players have been widely credited with turning around Rajasthan’s fortunes following their last place finish in the Plate Division in the 2009-10 season. Following back-to-back wins in the Ranji Elite championships, to be clumped with the non-playing members has stung the professionals.Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) defended their decision by arguing that the professionals were already getting their contract fees in addition to their match fees, so they felt the local players should get a larger share of the prize money.None of the players from the Ranji winning squad have been paid their match fees as of yet, however, though the delay is understood to be business as usual. Players are usually paid at the very end of the season in two instalments.Despite multiple phone calls, KK Sharma, the association’s officiating secretary, did not respond for a comment for the story.Three days after the RCA’s decision not to pay the professionals their share of the prize money, Modi and Sanjay Dixit, one-time bitter rivals in the RCA, also took to Twitter to announce a truce so that they could team up against the current state administration, headed by CP Joshi.The next day Dixit, who had been suspended as association secretary, was summarily dismissed from his post at an emergency general meeting and fresh elections for secretary called for. The reason, according to : his recent outbursts against RCA and his tweets.Dixit told ESPNcricinfo that his dismissal was illegal and that he plans to challenge the decision in court. He also said that the current administration lacked the cricketing knowledge needed to run the association. “Professionals have not been given their dues. They have not been given their prize money,” Dixit said. “They were paid at par with non-playing members of the team.”Dixit was instrumental in adding Kanitkar and Chopra to Rajasthan’s squad [Parida had been signed a year earlier]. The decision was taken at a review meeting following the state’s last-place finish two years ago. “We had a fairly competent bowling attack,” Dixit said in the wake of Rajasthan’s first Ranji triumph. “That’s why we were looking for three batting professionals, with the understanding that one of them had to take up the captaincy as well.”The association currently has plans to build a new stadium in Jaipur and is considering a second stadium in Udaipur. Dixit has opposed the building of the second stadium, pointing out that Rajasthan gets an international match about once every two and a half years. Having two stadiums in the state would therefore mean each would only get to host a match once every five years. “For that you want to spend Rs 40 crores on a stadium?,” Dixit asked.In an interview with the on February 27, Modi said Dixit was a “victim of ministerial ego” and suggested that he had “become a hurdle [to the administration] given his insistence on transparent financial systems and his opposition to the plan of building a big stadium in Udaipur.”Edited by Kanishkaa Balachandran

Full coverage of former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns’ libel suit against former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2012January 7, 2010
News – Chris Cairns to sue Lalit Modi
March 23, 2010
News – Distressed by Modi’s claims – Cairns
March 5, 2012
News – Accusation reduced my career to dust – Cairns
March 6, 2012
News – Cairns’ former team-mates allege fixing demands
March 7, 2012
News – Rumours made Cairns ‘barking’ angry
March 7, 2012
News – ICL officials had their own ‘agenda’March 8, 2012
News – Cairns fixing investigation ‘shambolic’ – Beer
March 9, 2012
News – Cairns’ fury as Modi fails to give evidence
March 12, 2012
News – Players stand by Cairns accusations
March 14, 2012
News – Judge refuses late witness for Modi
March 16, 2012
News – Cairns a ‘scapegoat’ court hears
March 26, 2012
News – Cairns wins libel case against Modi

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL game between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria22-Apr-2012Match factsMonday, April 23, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)AB de Villiers has played a lot of unorthodox shots this season•Associated PressBig pictureA week ago, Rajasthan Royals played Royal Challengers Bangalore at Chinnaswamy Stadium as underdogs, but Ajinkya Rahane’s century and Siddharth Trivedi’s four wickets gave them an easy 59-run victory. Most things have remained unchanged since then. Royals’ batting has consistently fired to give them a chance in every game while Royal Challengers’ bowling has struggled to stem the flow of runs. Virat Kohli’s indifferent form in this IPL has fetched him just 113 runs, putting extra pressure on Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.One thing has changed in the last week though – Gayle storms have become frequent. His last two innings have been 81 and 87 and have included 12 sixes. Royals would be wary of Gayle but if they can get past him, their task becomes considerably easier.Jaipur has been a fortress for the Royals and Rahul Dravid would hope for a strong batting performance again. Brad Hodge, second on the leading Twenty20 run-scorer list, hasn’t had many chances as the top order has been consistent. But he can be a dangerous batsman in this format and there is a case for him to come ahead of Ashok Menaria.Form guideRajasthan Royals LWWLL
Royal Challengers Bangalore WWLLLPlayers to watchKevon Cooper is Royals’ leading wicket taker this season with ten wickets. With the kind of luck that he has enjoyed, Dravid might want to pit him against Gayle early.AB de Villiers has scored a few boundaries and sixes in the reverse ‘V’. By his own admission, he has struggled to hit the ball in front of the wicket and therefore, has cleverly used the pace of the bowlers. Royal Challengers’ would hope him he fires again as he is one of the two in-form batsmen.Stats and trivia Royals have scored their runs at 8.56 per over, the best this season. Royal Challengers are next with 8.15 For batsmen who have scored more than 100 runs in the tournament, Hodge has the second best strike rate of 157.31, only 0.38 behind GayleQuotes”Probably, we have been playing well till three-quarters of the past few editions to keep ourselves in the hunt but have slipped in the last quarter.”

Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, has recovered from his back injury and will rejoin his franchise on April 25

Tariq Engineer24-Apr-2012Lasith Malinga, the Mumbai Indians fast bowler, has recovered from his back injury and will rejoin his franchise on April 25, ESPNcricinfo has learned. Malinga had flown to Sri Lanka on the morning of April 16 for rest and treatment for back soreness. His last IPL game was on April 11 against Rajasthan Royals but he missed only two matches because Mumbai Indians have had a five-day and a six-day break between games.Malinga could be back in action as soon as Mumbai Indians’ match against Delhi Daredevils on April 27, or against Deccan Chargers on April 29. This is the second time he has been sidelined with a back strain over the last 14 months. He also missed Sri Lanka’s opening two games in the 2011 World Cup with a similar problem.Mumbai Indians lost both the games Malinga missed. They were bowled out for 92 by Delhi Daredevils and failed to defend a total of 163 against Kings XI Punjab, as Munaf Patel and RP Singh conceded 69 runs in seven overs.Malinga is the all-time leading wicket-taker in the IPL and was in good form again this season. Before his injury he had taken nine wickets from four games at an economy-rate of 4.54. Injuries have been a problem for Malinga in recent years. Aside from his back problems, a knee injury he picked up during Sri Lanka’s Australia tour in 2007 threatened to cut short his career and, in April, 2011, he retired from Tests in order to spare his knee further damage.