The big news: Kanpur pitch to play fair, says curator

The pitch at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, which hosts the first Test between India and New Zealand from Thursday, will not allow the ball to turn alarmingly as in the case of recent home pitches, according to curator Shiv Kumar. The track is dry and has cracks, which will assist the home side, but only to a certain extent, he told ESPNcricinfo. Kumar added that the match will not finish inside three days because this a classic Indian wicket, which is good for batting on the first two days before it starts to turn.

There are patches of grass on the pitch, but it won’t assist fast bowling because it is dry, said Kumar. However, if it rains, the Green Park track could make swing and seam bowling a major factor. Otherwise, Kumar said he expects the early morning session to help the quicks.

Other top stories

  1. Even before a ball has been bowled, New Zealand find themselves in a spot of bother after all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was ruled out of the first Test match against India owing to a rib injury. The Test begins in Kanpur on September 22 and Neesham joins Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan who have already pulled out of the tour after sustaining injuries.
  2. Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman picked Cheteshwar Pujara over Rohit Sharma in the longer format of the game. Sharma is yet to find success in Tests compared to the success he enjoys in limited overs. Given a choice, Laxman said he would pick Pujara because he deserves the spot.
  3. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara was released on bail after he was involved in a road accident resulting in the death of a 28-year-old. "Preliminary inquiries have revealed that Mr Kulasekara was returning to Colombo from Kandy, when the unfortunate motorcycle rider who was travelling in the opposite direction had lost control of his bike whilst trying to overtake a bus and got flung into Mr Kulasekara's path," a press release said. Kulasekara retired from Test cricket in June in order to focus on his limited-overs career.
  4. The rift between Zimbabwe's players and their cricket association seems to have come to an end after the players ended their protest over non-payment of match fees. They players returned for training after being given an assurance by Wildfred Mukondiwa, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, that their money will be paid.
  5. Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal had a successful surgery after being struck on the hand while playing a domestic match last week. Chandimal suffered ‘multiple dislocations around the right thumb area’ after he was hit during the match. The player will need three weeks to recover and is expected to be fit for the team's tour of Zimbabwe in October and November.
  6. West Indies’s Samuel Badree has backed Pakistan to be a very dangerous team and has the pedigree to demolish any opposition on its day. West Indies are set to play Pakistan in three T20Is from September 23 in the UAE.