Newsfile: April 24

Gibbs recovering from fractured finger: If you were wondering what was keeping big-hitting opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs out of the Mumbai Indians' XI, even when they’ve been facing some issues at the top of their line-up, it was a fractured finger. The good news for Mumbai is, Gibbs should be back in action later this week. He tweeted as much on Tuesday morning:

Darren Bravo doubtful for IPL 2012: Deccan Chargers have not been having the best of tournaments, and they could face another minor blow as West Indies batsman Darren Bravo might not be available at all for this season of the IPL. Bravo’s currently tied up with the Tests against Australia, which end on April 27, and West Indies’ first warm-up game on their tour of England begins on May 5. So, squeezing in a trip to India might be quite impractical, and Chargers’ manager Paul Skinner said Bravo may not make it. "Darren will only be available for two-three games even if he comes to India," Skinner was quoted as saying in the Times of India. "It's possible that he may not make the trip. A decision will be taken after consultation between the franchise and the WICB."

India snub has cost Yusuf – Akram: Yusuf Pathan has aggregated 29 runs in seven games for Kolkata Knight Riders this season, but bowling coach Wasim Akram is still backing the allrounder, and said it was his axing from the India squad last year that affected his confidence levels. “We need Yusuf because he is simply fantastic when he clicks. One of the best in limited-overs cricket,” Akram was quoted as saying in the Indian Express. “Why he was dropped is beyond me. The selectors didn’t do any favour to his confidence by omitting him. Pathan is a big match player and will surely come good.” Yusuf had missed last year’s ODIs against England (home and away), the home series against West Indies and the Australia tri-series, before returning for the Asia Cup in March.

Duminy prefers to bat higher up: Deccan Chargers’ JP Duminy has said he’d rather bat up the order, despite being labelled as a finisher. “Given a choice, yes I would like to get a bit more time out in the middle, but that's not my call,” Duminy was quoted as saying in the Time of India. “I was almost forced into that situation and I guess became good at it. That tag has stuck.” Forced? How? “The South African top order is very settled and stable. It's not easy to force your way into the top-four, so I would get to bat at No. 5 or 6 with not many overs to play. I had to press the accelerator quickly, something which didn't come naturally to me. But I realised I had to take my opportunities and adapted my game to suit the team's needs.” Duminy batted at No. 5 in two out of his three games for Chargers this year, with his best showing coming when he came in at No. 4 against Rajasthan Royals – he scored an unbeaten 58 off 26 in that game.