Indian opener Vijay joins Essex

India batsman Murali Vijay has agreed to join Essex for the rest of the English side’s County Championship campaign. Vijay played India’s first two Tests on their current tour of England, but was dropped after struggling in their heavy defeat at Lord’s.The 34-year-old opener was twice dismissed without scoring in that match, but caught Essex’s attention with a half-century against his new club during a tour match in July. Vijay joins Essex as a replacement overseas player following the exit of Australian seamer Peter Siddle. Essex have three games left in the County Championship’s First Division and are currently in fourth place.“We’re delighted that Murali has chosen to come here, he’s a great batsman who can score runs at the top of the order,” Essex head Coach Anthony McGrath said. “Vijay’s run-scoring ability means he can be the difference-maker in a game, and that skill is something we were looking to bring in towards the end of the season and something that we’re excited about.”Vijay added: “I was here with the India side about a month ago and saw first-hand just how good the crowd is. I can’t wait to play for Essex and hopefully win some matches.”South Africa goes ahead with T20 league Cricket South Africa decided yesterday to go ahead with a new Twenty20 cricket league but failed to reveal details of teams or players. In a statement following the organisation’s annual meeting, CSA said the league will be played from November 9 to December 16.It will be contested by six teams who will play a total of 30 home and away matches, followed by one eliminator match and a final. The statement said details, including hosting venues, would be announced shortly.It is expected the league will feature city-based teams, which will differ from the six franchises currently playing in South African domestic cricket. A mooted eight-team Global T20 league, due to be played over a similar period last year, was cancelled when CSA were unable to find a sponsor or a broadcast deal.The cancellation led to chief executive Haroon Lorgat being fired and CSA having to pay compensation to 144 local and international players who had been contracted. At least four of the eight private owners who had been signed up have indicated they may take legal action against the board.There was no mention of private ownership in yesterday’s statement, which said new chief executive Thabang Moroe had presented a viable commercial model that was approved by the board. Despite losing an estimated $14mn over the cancellation of the Global league, CSA reported a profit of almost $23mn after a year in which South Africa hosted both India and Australia.Bangladesh recall Mominul for Asia CupBangladesh have added batsman Mominul Haque to their squad for the Asia Cup as backup to several players carrying injuries. Opener Tamim Iqbal has an issue with his finger while uncapped left-hander Nazmul Hossain hurt his left thumb during a recent training session.Bangladesh are Pool B alongside Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in the six-nation Asia Cup, which will run from September 15-28 in the United Arab Emirates. The Tigers also have some fitness concerns regarding all-rounder Shakib al-Hasan, who was keen to skip the Asia Cup to have a surgery on a finger.But the Bangladesh Cricket Board insisted on playing him in the tournament, putting his surgery on hold until October when they host Zimbabwe.Shakib scored 190 runs in three one-day internationals in the West Indies in July, playing a key role in Bangladesh’s 2-1 series win. Mominul, who also can bowl left-arm spin, played the last of his 26 ODIs during the 2015 World Cup. A Test regular, Mominul reminded selectors of his limited-overs prowess during Bangladesh A’s recent tour of Ireland, scoring 182 of 132 balls in one innings.