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Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph shared nine wickets on the opening day in Barbados to increase the pressure on Australia’s faltering batting line-up, but the visitors’ quicks struck back to suggest another Test match that could unfold in fast forward on a surface that offered assistance for the seamers.Australia’s reshaped top order slipped to 22 for 3 against new ball before Usman Khawaja, who was dropped twice on 6 and 45, and Travis Head added 89 as they threatened to take control. However, Khawaja’s dismissal to Shamar Joseph sparked a collapse of 7 for 69 which included Head for 59 after he’d been controversially reprieved by the third umpire who ruled a catch hadn’t carried to wicketkeeper Shai Hope.Australia’s 180 was their lowest total in West Indies having chosen to bat first, and their lowest either way since 1995 in Trinidad. But while they have issues over the batting, the bowling attack remains formidable and the total grew in significance amid Mitchell Starc’s new-ball burst. He had former captain Kraigg Brathwaite, playing his 99th Test, edging low to second slip where Beau Webster held an excellent catch. He then shaped one away from the left-handed John Campbell to leave the hosts 16 for 2.Related

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Keacy Carty and debutant Brandon King, who had earlier dropped three catches, mixed caution with positivity to see West Indies to within 20 minutes of the close. But Carty could do little against a delivery from Pat Cummins that kicked from short of a length and caught the shoulder of the bat on the way through to Alex Carey. Then nightwatcher Jomel Warrican couldn’t keep out an excellent delivery from Josh Hazlewood. At the moment, it would appear unwise to be making cricket-watching plans for the weekend.Ahead of the game, just the second Test in six years at the ground, there was degree of uncertainty over what conditions would present. There was movement throughout while the occasional delivery also lifted sharply to challenge Cummins’ view at the toss that “it looks a pretty good wicket.”Seales ended up edging the wickets tally, but Shamar Joseph was magnificent throughout: his first spell read 6-2-12-2 and his third 5-0-12-2. With better catching support from his team-mates – West Indies dropped four chances in the innings – he and not Seales would have had the five-wicket haul.Shamar Joseph had two wickets and two dropped chances in the first hour•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

He bowled with pace, movement and occasionally some significant extra bounce. It took him just 10 balls to make his first impact, nipping one back at the recalled Sam Konstas to pin the 19-year-old lbw although the not out decision needed to be overturned by the DRS.Cameron Green should have gone for a duck second ball when he edged a drive off the back foot, but King dropped a regulation chance at gully. Shamar Joseph then saw another chance go down when new captain Roston Chase spilled Khawaja at first slip.Green went on to be given a torrid working over as he continued to find life tough at No. 3. Shamar Joseph regularly challenged the outside edge and then drew one which carried low to second slip.Josh Inglis, filling in for the injured Steven Smith at No. 4, tried to take a positive option but top-edged a pull from outside off which Hope settled under to give Seales his first wicket. It was not until the end of the over in which Inglis fell, the 16th of the innings, that Australia struck their first boundary when Head opened his account with a strong drive although a slow outfield was partly to blame.Khawaja then briefly went on the attack, pulling Alzarri Joseph for six and twice sending Seales through the off side, but there was never a great sense of permanency to his innings. Still, he and Head had repaired some of the early damage as they carried Australia through to lunch without further loss on 65 for 3.Fortune favoured Khawaja after the break as he was beaten by Alzarri Joseph and edged through a gap in the slips. Head also slashed over the cordon as he took a typically positive approach which started to turn the tide in Australia’s favour as he brought up a 57-ball fifty.Khawaja’s second life came when he slashed to gully on 45 where King was again the culprit, but this one didn’t cost West Indies too many as Shamar Joseph resumed his wicket-taking when Khawaja bottom-edged a pull. He then produced a magnificent delivery which completely squared up Webster and clipped the top of off stump.In his next over Shamar Joseph thought he had his fifth wicket when Head edged through to Hope who took it very low and signaled his uncertainty to the square-leg umpire. The on-field officials went upstairs and, having seen the first replay, West Indies started celebrating only for it to be eventually ruled not out by Adrian Holdstock much to their bemusement – it did appear as though Hope’s fingers were under the ball.Another wicket did fall before tea, Alex Carey edging Seales to first slip, and it became a clatter after the interval with Head flaying an edge to the keeper and Starc nicking to second slip. Cummins threw the bat to good effect for runs that, if the low-scoring nature of this match continues, could prove important before Seales struck and gave the Australia captain a send-off on the way to his third five-wicket haul.

The May 11 IPL match between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Mumbai Indians (MI) *has been shifted from Dharamsala to Ahmedabad. The last-minute change is due to the escalation in tension across the India-Pakistan border.The MI game was PBKS’ last game of this year in Dharamsala, their second home venue. Last Sunday, in their first game of the season in Dharamsala, they comfortably defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and this evening they are scheduled to play Delhi Capitals (DC) in a crucial match there.MI were originally scheduled to be in Dharamsala today, but their travel plans were stalled after the IPL decided to have discussions on shifting the match.Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) have accepted the IPL’s request to host the PBKS-MI game. GCA secretary Anil Patel suggested that MI were scheduled to land in Ahmedabad on Thursday evening.PBKS are currently third on the points table with 15 points from 11 games. MI are just one slot below, with 14 points from 12 games.To be certain of qualification, Punjab Kings (PBKS) need to win a couple of games and move up to 19 points. They can even go through with 15 points on NRR, but for that to happen, several other results will have to go their way. If they win each of their three remaining games, they’ll be assured of a top-two finish. Two of their three remaining games are against teams in the top five, which makes those results extremely vital for PBKS.MI have played six games in Ahmedabad in the IPL, winning just one. They have lost all their last five matches at the venue.

An all-round bowling show from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) saw them restrict Punjab Kings (PBKS) to only 157 for 6 in Mullanpur. Less than 48 hours after these two teams played a game in Bengaluru, they were back at it up north.RCB won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first on what Rajat Patidar thought was a decent surface. PBKS were off to a flying start in the powerplay with Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh going big. After a two-run opening over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the duo smashed seven fours and a six in the next three overs.However, the change of pace brought RCB back. Krunal Pandya first induced a top-edge off Arya’s blade with Tim David taking a simple catch at mid-on. Prabhsimran went six and four against Josh Hazlewood in the sixth over to end the powerplay on a high. But it was all RCB thereon.Prabhsimran failed to clear long-on first ball after the powerplay and was caught by David at long-on. Shreyas Iyer, who had three fifty-plus and four sub-ten scores in seven innings in IPL 2025, suffered another failure. He was dismissed by Romario Shepherd, with Krunal taking a stunning catch haring to his left from long-on.Nehal Wadhera was needlessly run out, while Suyash Sharma then picked two wickets in an over as PBKS slipped to 114 for 6 in the 14th over. PBKS only managed 67 runs in the middle overs and lost five wickets.Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen tried their best to go big in the death, but Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood did not give them an inch. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, RCB landed eight yorkers in the last four overs. Jansen and Shashank were not dismissed but could only manage 28 runs in the last four overs. Jansen smashed a six to end the innings, but RCB will be the happier side going into the break.

Josh Cobb, the only man named player of the match in two T20 Blast finals, has retired from professional cricket to take up a new role as boys academy lead at Warwickshire.Cobb, 34, played 448 professional games across a career which started at Leicestershire in 2007 and has seen him represent two other Midlands counties in Northamptonshire and Worcestershire. He was also a Bangladesh Premier League winner with Dhaka Gladiators in 2013, and has captained Welsh Fire in the Hundred.A powerful top-order batter, Cobb won his first match award in a Blast final for his bowling, taking 4 for 22 as Leicestershire beat Somerset to the title in 2011. Five years later, his innings of 80 off 48 balls secured Northamptonshire’s second T20 title as they beat Durham at Edgbaston – the ground he will now call home in his new role.Cobb spent two weeks working with Australia’s players as a consultant coach during their ODI series in England last September, an opportunity that was the result of his relationship with Andrew McDonald, his former Leicestershire team-mate. He is following his father Russell – who runs the UCCE set-up at Loughborough University – into coaching.”Since making my debut 18 years ago, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable ride with plenty of ups and downs,” Cobb said in a statement on Tuesday. “I’m immensely thankful for the people I’ve met, places travelled, and memories created over the years. Cricket has given me so much. Scoring my first hundred at Lord’s aged 18 and winning the T20 Blast Finals twice are just some of the memories I’ll cherish.”Recent graduates of the Warwickshire academy include Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley. “My challenge is to keep developing homegrown players that can go on to play for the Bears and England,” Cobb said. “I’m excited at the chance to lead an academy at such a great club like Warwickshire, one that’s had a lot of success over a number of years.”

New South Wales captain Moises Henriques has announced his retirement from first-class cricket having stepped away from the format part way through the 2024-25 season.Henriques, 38, who played four Tests for Australia, will remain available for NSW in the One-Day Cup and has one season remaining on his current deal with Sydney Sixers who he also captains.Henriques did not feature for NSW in the Sheffield Shield since early November with Jack Edwards, who had been named the one-day captain ahead of the season, leading the side for the remainder of the campaign where NSW pushed for a place in the Shield final before finishing fourth.”I pretty much made my mind up before Christmas this year that it was time for me to stop playing Sheffield Shield cricket,” Henriques said “It was an honour to be able to lead and play for this state for so long, but playing for NSW means leading not only through words and preparation but also performances.”My body was still able, even at this ripe old age, but I just wasn’t leading by winning games of cricket for my state in the longer format of the game which I believe you have to do at this age.”We have a terrific group of younger players that will take over and move this great state forward and I will watch on with keen eyes. I’d love to thank them for providing me an environment to love going to work in.”Overall in first-class cricket Henriques made 6830 runs at 34.84 including 13 centuries and claimed 127 wickets at 30.75.As an emerging player he was touted as a future star for Australia and made 68 and 81 not out on his Test debut against India in Chennai in 2013 but did not reach double figures in his next three matches, two more against India and one against Sri Lanka in 2016.”I leave the team in great hands with Jack Edwards who took over and has showed such strong leadership already so early in his career,” Henriques said.”I want to thank Cricket NSW for their ongoing support. I’ve been a part of this organisation since I was 17 and they’ve helped me every step of the way. Twenty-one years on now, I hope to still offer my best in the shorter formats and will continue to do what I can to give back to this game that has given me so much.”New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd paid tribute to the impact Henriques has made on and off the field.”What Moises has been able to bring to NSW on the field is well documented, but it should also be recognised what he has brought to the Blues off the field over so many years,” Shipperd said.”He is the consummate professional and leader and cricket in NSW is far greater for Moises’ contribution. We saw this year in the One-Day Cup and during the BBL that he still has plenty to give, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with Moises.”

South Africa’s bowlers are looking forward to the chance to test themselves on batter-friendly surfaces in Pakistan, where high scores are expected to define the Champions Trophy.Since 2021, Pakistan has been home to the highest batting average in ODIs – 35.53 – and the mini tri-series which preceded the Champions Trophy saw five out of eight scores in excess of 300, including Pakistan’s highest successful ODI chase.South Africa’s white-ball bowling coach Anton Roux said he expected “the trend going around all the venues” to continue and Keshav Maharaj, South Africa’s premier spinner, believed the bowlers were up for the challenge.Related

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“It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the class within our bowling line-up stand up and sort of defend these scores,” Maharaj said from Karachi, where South Africa will play Afghanistan in their tournament opener on Friday. “Although the totals might seem high in the context of cricket it’s probably on par to get 320 these days when batting first and chasing it down in the 44th or 46th over.”It’s a nice test. As cricketers, if you’re not tested in your chosen skill, then you’re not going to challenge yourself to get better. I think it’s a wonderful advert to see the high scores and when the bowler does come out on the right side of things, it shows his class and worth within the team and the world line-up.”Maharaj recognised that this may mean a return to a more traditional containing role for him with the seamers expected to attack.”In order to get success, it’s about building pressure and just limiting the boundary balls in between,” he said. “It’s probably more of that holding role that one’s accustomed to seeing in South Africa. It’s not about changing the way I bowl, it’s just about changing the field sets that we have. I’m still trying to bowl my best ball to create opportunity, but with probably a more defensive type of field, maybe not carrying a slip for so long. That’s basically the sort of mindset.”On the evidence of the only ODI Maharaj has played in Pakistan, which was just last week, he has taken to the task well. He was South Africa’s most economical bowler on a difficult day as Pakistan chased down 353 with an over to go – going wicketless but conceding just five fours and a six in his ten overs, which included 30 dot balls. And his economy of 5.40 was a result of experimenting with ways to limit run-scoring in a place where he has found that “it doesn’t turn as much as one would think”.So Maharaj has had to rely on changes of pace instead. “You still want to try to spin the ball because the more revolutions you get on the ball, you create flight and drift,” he said. “For me, it’s about trying to play with the overspin and the sidespin and it’s more about the paces that I bowl at so that the batters can’t really line you up in terms of using their feet or getting them caught on the crease.”Tabraiz Shamsi is the only other frontline spinner in the squad•ICC/Getty Images

South Africa’s approach of using their spinners as holding bowlers and loading their squad with seamers – there are five seamers and two specialist spinners in the squad – is in keeping with what the statistics say about what kinds of bowlers have success in Pakistan. Since 2021, pace bowlers have taken 180 wickets in 44 innings at 36.02, a better average than the spinners’ 43.98, though spinners have had an economy of 5.49 to the seamers’ 6.02. That may mean the quicks can expect to get hit, which Roux said needed “critical real good planning and execution” to prevent.It also means that the batters, especially those that like the ball coming on to the bat like South Africans tend to, would be licking their lips at the prospect of big runs. Asked if the likes of Temba Bavuma, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller have just been walking around smiling, Maharaj indicated that they were not complaining but were being careful not to count their chickens.”They’re quite happy with the conditions, but they understand that it’s not just rock up and score runs. It’s still a process and method,” Maharaj said. “When wickets are in your favour, you train that much harder because you want to make the most of the opportunity that you’re presented with. I don’t think there’s any sense of complacency even though conditions are deemed to be in the batters’ favour. You’re going to see a supercharged outfit.”

Bangladesh missed direct qualification for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup after their eight-wicket defeat against West Indies in Basseterre on Friday. They finished on 21 points in the Women’s Championship table, level with New Zealand who had more wins – nine opposed to Bangladesh’s eight – and secured the sixth and final direct spot.New Zealand joined Australia, India, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka in getting automatic places in the World Cup, scheduled to be held in India later this year. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will have West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland for company in the World Cup qualifiers. Scotland and Thailand will also join the competition, with two teams out of these six qualifying for the main event.The third ODI between Bangladesh and West Indies, however, ended up being a meek affair. Batting first, the visitors were bowled out for 118 runs in 43.5 overs. Sharmin Akhter top-scored with 37. Bangladesh were looking good at 94 for 3, before collapsing badly. They lost their last seven wickets for just 24 runs in 13 overs.Karishma Ramharack took a four-wicket haul for the second successive game, this time conceding just 12 runs in her 6.5 overs. Zaida James took two wickets.West Indies reached their target in 27.3 overs, with Qiana Joseph making 39 and Deandra Dottin remaining unbeaten on 33. Marufa Akter and Nahida Akter took a wicket each.Bangladesh’s tour of West Indies continues in Basseterre where they will play three T20Is on January 27, 29 and 31.

Sean Williams slog-swept Rashid Khan in the 24th over of Zimbabwe’s innings, but the ball ballooned off the top edge for Hashmatullah Shahidi at midwicket. Shahidi looked to catch it with a reverse cup, but dropped the ball – possibly because of the sun in his eyes – and invited the loudest cheers until then from the sparse crowd at Harare Sports Club.They didn’t have much going for them, really, since Zimbabwe were 89 for 8 at that stage. Williams, on 33 at the time, went on to score 60 at just under a run a ball, and dragged his side to 127 in 30.1 overs. Afghanistan wiped out the target of 128 with eight wickets and 23 overs in the bank. Sediqullah Atal followed up a knock of 104 from the second ODI with 52 off 50 balls in the third, hitting four fours and two sixes on the way, and Afghanistan completed a 2-0 series win over Zimbabwe after the first ODI was washed out.That gave Afghanistan their sixth successive ODI series win over Zimbabwe, who are yet to beat them in a bilateral series in seven attempts – the first one, back in July 2014, was shared 2-2.The chase began with just 15 runs from the first six overs, as Zimbabwe kept it tight. But Atal drove and got a top edge for four off Richard Ngarava in the seventh over, and that got Afghanistan going. Although Abdul Malik, the other opener, took his time, Atal attacked from the other end to raise the fifty stand in the 11th over. The partnership ended at 83 when Ngarava had Malik chopping on for 29, before Brian Bennett took a blinder running and diving to his left to send Atal back. Shahidi and Rahmat Shah, however, didn’t have any bothers finishing the job.[File photo] Sean Williams was the only Zimbabwe batter to take the fight to Afghanistan•Getty Images

But Afghanistan’s win on Saturday was set up by 18-year-old offspinner AM Ghazanfar. He bowled his quota of ten overs unchanged starting from the seventh, and finished with 5 for 33, his second ODI five-for in just 11 games. Shahidi chose to bowl first after winning the toss, and his bowlers proved the decision right. Afghanistan’s seamers were getting appreciable swing even after the powerplay, while their spinners almost magically turned the ball both ways.Eight of the ten wickets went to Ghazanfar and Rashid, who got 3 for 38. That, though was aa result of both batters not reading them well, and the on-field umpires making debatable calls – perhaps not reading the bowlers well either. In a series where the teams don’t have DRS to turn to, Craig Ervine and Ben Curran walked back unhappy. Even Sikandar Raza shook his head on being given out lbw off Rashid, but whether he did that because he was disappointed with the umpire or with himself… who can tell.Zimbabwe’s innings featured a mini-collapse as well as a big crumble. But before either of those, Afghanistan’s new-ball bowlers Fareed Ahmed and Azmatullah Omarzai kept a tight leash on opening batters Curran and Joylord Gumbie. Twenty-two of the first 28 balls were dots; there were four more to start the seventh over, after which Zimbabwe lost three wickets for five runs in next to no time.It started with Gumbie top-edging an attempted sweep off Ghazanfar to short fine-leg. Next over, Omarzai got one to seam away from Ervine, who was squared up as the ball went past. Ervine was given out caught behind, but there was no visible nick. Ghazanfar then got his second when he trapped Curran in front for 12 in the ninth over, although the first impression was that the ball was heading down the leg side.Rashid Khan picked up three wickets, but played second fiddle to his junior colleague, AM Ghazanfar•Afghanistan Cricket Board

Senior hands Raza and Williams briefly rebuilt thereafter. Williams had 21 runs off his first 22 balls, including three fours and a six, after 14 overs. But come the 16th, Raza’s wicket triggered a period where Zimbabwe lost five wickets for 29 runs. He was hit on the back leg by one which turned in from Rashid, and was adjudged lbw for 13. In his next over, Rashid had Bennett lbw with a googly as well, as Bennett played down the wrong line.Ghazanfar then got two more back to back, almost in identical fashion. He cleaned up both left-hand batters Tadiwanashe Marumani and Wellington Masakadza in the one over, the 19th of the innings, and each time, going around the wicket, the carrom ball fi the trick. Both batters swung across the line, and left a big gap between bat and pad for the ball to hit the off stump. On the hat-trick ball, Ghazanfar beat Newman Nyamhuri on the outside edge, with Shahidi placing as many as three slips for the right-hander.Williams, meanwhile, continued ticking at the other end even as he kept running out of partners. He whacked Rashid for four over midwicket, and slogged him for six over square leg, while Ghazanfar completed his five-for by having Nyamhuri top-edging to slip in between.Williams added 30 for the ninth wicket with Ngarava, and brought up his 36th ODI fifty when he hammered debutant seamer Bilal Sami to deep backward point. Williams had also bashed birthday boy Sami for a four and six off consecutive balls in the 14th over.But when going for a reverse sweep against Rashid in the 28th, Williams ended up tickling one to slip, where Mohammad Nabi caught him. Zimbabwe’s innings lasted only another 15 balls, in which Ngarava and Trevor Gwandu added eight runs. The defeat capped off a year in which Zimbabwe’s collective batting average was at its lowest at 14.22 (with a minimum of nine batting innings).

The revival of the Afro-Asia Cup – a series of white-ball matches played between an Asian XI and an African XI – is on the cards according to the Africa Cricket Association (ACA). The continental body held its AGM on Saturday, where it appointed a six-person interim committee to restructure the ACA and increase the number of competitive opportunities for players on the continent.One of its aims is to reach out to other organisations, such as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and explore cross-continental opportunities such as the Afro-Asia Cup. The tournament was only played twice before, in 2005 in South Africa and 2007 in India. A third edition, scheduled for 2009 in Kenya, never took place but almost two decades later, it may happen after all. Should the tournament take place again, it presents a unique opportunity for players from both India and Pakistan – who do not play bilateral cricket against each other currently – to be part of the same Asia XI team.”The Afro-Asia Cup, apart from the cricket, brings the much-needed financial input to the organisation, and the appetite is huge from both ends,” Tavengwa Mukuhlani, interim chair of the ACA, who is also the Zimbabwe Cricket Chair, said at a press conference. “We have had conversations with our counterparts within the Asia Cricket Council, and obviously our African contingents, they want the Afro-Asia Cup to be revived.”While ACC representatives did not respond to ESPNcricinfo at the time of publication about the return of the Afro-Asia Cup, it is learned that no formal request has been made to the ACC, neither has any discussion around this taken place at the body’s recent meeting in Malaysia. In 2005, the three-match ODI series was shared 1-1 after a rained-out final game, and in 2007, the Asia XI won all three matches.The 2005 Asia squad was captained by Inzamam-ul-Haq and included Rahul Dravid, Ashish Nehra and Anil Kumble while the 2007 Asia XI squad included MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar alongside Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar. At the time, relations between India and Pakistan were warm on and off the cricket field, and the two countries played regular bilateral cricket. The 2008 Mumbai attacks changed that equation, however, and the sides have played one white-ball bilateral series since, in 2012-13. They have only played in ICC events otherwise, with Pakistan traveling to India on a couple of occasions: India have not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup.The ACA is also planning to launch a “mini version of the IPL,” according to CEO Cassim Suliman, called the Africa Premier League, though it remains in the planning phase. “We are planning to, after board approval, bring the Africa Premier League. That’s what we’re busy with at the moment on the sponsorship. Once that comes together, we will go to the board, the board will okay it, and then we will take it from there,” he said. “It’s the mini vision of the IPL. So we’re taking that concept of the IPL and driving that concept to ensure that everybody benefits in that aspect. As far as where we’re going to play, the board will decide. We’re going to look at facilities that are going to warrant spectator viewership. It’s still at the initial stage. Obviously, we want to do things right the first time to make sure we get the ball rolling on it. But the board will decide exactly who’s hosting and from there, we’ll take it to them from there. It’s going to be like the IPL format, but with a lower status and then we’ll grow it from there.”There is currently only one franchise tournament in Africa, South Africa’s SA20, but Mukuhlani was hopeful that a South African franchise could be involved in the Africa Premier League and committed Zimbabwean players to the proposed tournament. “The participation of South Africa and Zimbabwe gives context to the competition, and there is also the experience that the upcoming teams get from playing alongside players from South Africa and Zimbabwe,” he said. “So yes, we will participate.”

Wriddhiman Saha had already made up his mind to retire from cricket when he casually went to the Eden Gardens this June. But after he returned from a meeting meant to amicably resolve differences with certain factions within the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which had led to his departure to Tripura for two seasons, Saha had a change of mind.The reason: Sourav Ganguly. The former India captain had convinced Saha to stay on so that he could end his career with Bengal. And so, Saha, who has had plenty of taping around his fingers and strapping around his hamstring and pain-relief patches on his back, decided to continue with the team’s physio on speed dial to be able to help him fight through another season.”You can say it was because of emotional attachment,” he says as he sits down for a chat on the opening day of Bengal’s fourth-round Ranji fixture against Karnataka in Bengaluru. “I wasn’t going to play this year but Sourav Ganguly and my wife pushed me to play and finish with Bengal after two seasons with Tripura.”When he gave his nod to play, Saha made it clear he won’t be available for the white-ball leg of the domestic season. He knew he wouldn’t last the rigours of another full season. It was also partly influenced by his desire to have his spot taken by someone else, because he’d already informed his previous IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans, he wasn’t going to play in the tournament anymore.As it turns out, one of the direct beneficiaries of Saha’s exit (from when he moved to Tripura) has been Abishek Porel, who has flourished so much over the past year across formats that Delhi Capitals considered him worthy of being retained. For Saha, a mentor to the young group of wicketkeepers across the country, there couldn’t have been a better validation.”I’ve been pushing myself for the last year. But because of my body condition and injuries, I won’t be able to play for the full season,” he says. “That’s why I chose the most vital format – Ranji Trophy. It will be tough [to carry on] but I will play and hopefully we qualify. If we do, I will play till the end of the season, else I’ll finish off at Eden Gardens.”Related

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• Saha to retire from cricket after Ranji Trophy season

Saha laughs when asked if the decision to contemplate retirement was tough. “It was very easy,” he replies spontaneously. “I was already prepared that I won’t play this year. But when my wife and Sourav Ganguly pushed me, I couldn’t refuse.”Still considered among the best wicketkeepers in India, perhaps even around the world, Saha seems at peace with his decision. He’s fully happy with the way his career has panned out, even though his career coincided at different times with two mavericks: MS Dhoni in the early years and Rishabh Pant in the later. Has he ever considered himself unlucky?”No, I don’t think so,” he says. “There are so many of them who didn’t play despite toiling so hard. Amol Muzumdar, Padmakar Shivalkar sir. I feel fortunate and proud to have played 40 Tests for India.”Wriddhiman Saha behind the stumps: acrobatic and safe•BCCI

As he looks ahead, Saha is open to opportunities in coaching and mentoring. He’s clear the first rights will be with Bengal. “Not yet [thought of the immediate future], but if I get an offer from another state or Bengal, I will think about it,” he laughs. “If not, family life (laughs). I have been playing cricket since childhood. I haven’t done anything else. I want to share as much knowledge as I have in cricket. I’ve already started doing that at a couple of academies back home.”Saha ended his Test career with 1353 runs in 56 innings at an average of 29.41, with three centuries and six half-centuries. Arguably, his finest moment on home turf when he hit unbeaten half-centuries in both innings to help India beat New Zealand in 2016. Saha admits “maybe I could’ve done more” with the bat, but insists his career graph was largely a reflection of his emphasis on being a wicketkeeper first and a batter next.”When I started, I was a wicketkeeper. I knew I could never be as good as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli,” he says. “I wanted to earn a name in what I did from childhood – that’s why I put more emphasis on wicketkeeping.”He grew up working with Kiran More, Saba Karim and Deep Dasgupta. Chats with Dhoni over the years, and occasional interactions with Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy fueled his pursuits of being his best version. As a seasoned professional, Saha says he’s happy to chat with young keepers and help them.”I’ve spoken to keepers from the women’s team, we keep talking to each other,” he says. “Last IPL, Dhruv Jurel spoke to me. Rishabh [Pant] has done it all along when we played together. The understanding was good, he used to share his experiences, I used to give him as much input as possible.”As Saha reflects on his career, he’s happy he continued to play for three more years despite being told in late 2021 by then coach Rahul Dravid that the Indian team were moving on from him.”That door got closed, but I knew domestic, and IPL was still there,” he says. “It wasn’t like I got demoralised because of that. I’ve played now for three-four years since that. Why did I start playing? Because I like it. Last year, I’d stopped liking the game and planned to leave. After this season, I’m moving on.”Hopefully we can make the final. If not, I’ll finish off at Eden Gardens.”