A charity match themed 'Rebuilding the Caribbean one over at a time' between a Caribbean Select XI and a Trinidad side will be held in Port of Spain on October 14 to raise funds for the victims of recent hurricanes that battered the Caribbean.
Star all-rounder Kieron Pollard will lead the Trinidad side whereas Darren Sammy will lead the Caribbean Select XI.
Alongside the proceeds from ticket sales -- $100 a ticket -- containers will be placed around the ground to collect canned items and clothing, reports ESPNcricinfo.
Two Category 5 major hurricanes, Irma and Maria, ravaged the Caribbean islands among other hurricanes during the months from August to September.
There has been huge level of devastation in regions like Dominica, Barbuda and St Martin, where communication with some communities is still difficult.
Proteas Faf, Elgar not in favour of four-day Test
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis and bastman Dean Elgar have expressed their disapproval for the four-day Test cricket even though Cricket South Africa (CSA) wants to trial the concept later this year.
The South African cricket board has scheduled a four-day Test against Zimbabwe on Boxing Day but is awaiting approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the game.
"I am a fan of five-day Test cricket. I believe the great Test matches have gone to the last hour of the last day on day five. That's what is so special about Test cricket," Sport24 quoted Du Plessis as saying after Proteas defeat Bangladesh in the first Test in Potchefstroom in a match that went to the fifth day.
"In four-day cricket or first-class cricket, it does feel easier because there are only four days," he added.
The Proteas skipper further said that players, both batsmen and bowlers, have to graft it out for five days.
"Bowlers have to bowl a lot more and batters have to construct much bigger innings," he insisted.
Meanwhile, opening batsman Elgar echoed similar sentiments and said that there should be no experimentation with the longest format of the game even though there is concern around the world about the support for Test cricket.
"I don't think you should tinker with something that's not broken. If you go and play around the world, Test cricket is followed quite well," said Elgar.
The left-handed batsman believes Tests do get good enough crowds.
"If you play in Australia, if you play in England, even if you play in South Africa against the relatively big nations you still get very good crowds," he said.
"There are other formats that are being experimented with. I don't see why Test cricket should suffer. I am a purist when it comes to that. Hopefully the game can have longevity in the five-day format," he added.
West Indies name unchanged squad for Zimbabwe
West Indies have named an unchanged squad for their tour to Zimbabwe later this month.
According to AFP, the 15-man squad had lost a three-match Test series 2-1 and five-match one day international series 4-0 against England, but won the only Twenty20 game between the sides.
West Indies will play two Tests against Zimbabwe following a three-day tour match against Zimbabwe A starting on October 15.
Squad: Jason Holder (capt), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach.
Schedule:
Tour match v Zimbabwe A - October 15-17
1st Test v Zimbabwe - October 21-25
2nd Test v Zimbabwe - October 29-Nov 2.
Raina to captain UP in Ranji Trophy opener
Suresh Raina has been named Uttar Pradesh captain for their Ranji Trophy opener against Railways beginning in Lucknow on Friday.
Squad: Suresh Raina (captain), Shivam Chaudhary, Himanshu Asnora, Rinku Singh, Akchdeep Nath, Eklavya Dwivedi, Umang Sharma, Almas Shaukat, Saurabh Kumar, Zeeshan Ansari, Deependra Pandey, Ankit Rajput,Praveen Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, Imtiyaz Ahmad, Israr Azim and Dhruv Pratap Singh.
