Cricket news round-up – 14 August: Du Plessis excluded from T20I squad, de Kock captain

Faf du Plessis was excluded from the T20I squad for South Africa’s tour of India later next month, with Quinton de Kock named captain of the side. Du Plessis will continue to lead the Test side, however.

Elsewhere, Moeen Ali announced he would be taking a “short break” from cricket after his exclusion for the second Ashes Test, and women’s T20 cricket will be played at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

Du Plessis excluded, de Kock to captain South Africa in India T20Is

Quinton de Kock will captain South Africa in the T20Is during their trip to India late next month. Faf du Plessis has been excluded from the limited-overs squad.

However, du Plessis will captain the Test side for the three Tests, to be played after the three-match T20I series, and despite his exclusion from the limited-overs squad, Corrie van Zyl, the CSA director of cricket, said he remains “an important part of our plans for white-ball cricket”.

There were three new faces in the T20I squad, with Temba Bavuma, Anrich Nortje and allrounder Bjorn Fortuin all included.

Nortje was also included in the Test side, along with Rudi Second, the wicketkeeper, and spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy. Dane Piedt, the off-spinner, also made a return to the squad.

Moeen Ali takes break from cricket

Moeen Ali has announced he will take a “short break” from cricket after he was excluded from the squad for the second Ashes Test.

Moeen has been short of form with both and bowling – while batting problems have gone on a while, he was tonked by Steven Smith, largely, in the first Ashes Test, as he returned 3/172. He was also left out of the latter part of the World Cup during England’s run to the trophy.

“Mo is spending a little time away from the middle recharging his batteries and putting in some quality practice time which he feels he needs,” said Worcestershire’s first-team head coach Alex Gidman. “He has had an intense schedule of international cricket involving the ICC World Cup and the start of the Ashes.”

Cricket included in 2022 Commonwealth Games

Cricket will return to the Commonwealth Games via Women’s T20 cricket for Birmingham ’22. The top eight international teams that come under the ambit of the commonwealth will clash at Edgbaston over eight days.

The ICC will play a part in supporting the Commonwealth Games Federation to stage the competition and will also provide match officials for the event. “Today is an historic day and we are delighted to welcome the sport of cricket back to the Commonwealth Games,” Dame Louise Martin, President of the CWG Federation, said in a statement.

Vitality Blast round-up

Gloucestershire rode on James Bracey’s 48-ball 64 to see off Hampshire by 7 wickets in Bristol. Hampshire were restricted to 139/6, with Chris Liddle taking 3/25. However, that target was no match for the Gloucs, and the chase was completed in 17.5 overs.

Over in Derby, Derbyshire held off Worcestershire by 20 runs to keep their chase up for the top position. Derby posted 181/2, thanks largely to Billy Godleman’s 67-ball 92, and Luis Reece’s half-century.

Then, Martin Guptill scored a 40-ball 45 and Callum Ferguson a 26-ball 37, but Worcestershire fell considerably short, managing 161/7 in 20 overs.