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Fran Wilson makes 61 in Western Storm’s 200 for 5, as match loses 41 overs to rain

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2024 Northern Diamonds 199 for 4 (Armitage 101*) beat Western Storm 200 for 5 (Wilson 61, Corney 40) by six wickets – DLSHollie Armitage scored a brilliant unbeaten hundred to guide Northern Diamonds to an impressive six-wicket victory over Western Storm on the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method in an entertaining Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy match at Cheltenham.Chasing a revised target of 199 on a day when 41 overs were lost to rain, the visitors reached their target with 16 balls in hand thanks to a captain’s innings from Armitage, who posted 101 from 76 balls with nine fours and a six to help Diamonds close the gap on leaders Southern Vipers.She received valuable support from Sterre Kalis, who contributed 34 in a third wicket stand of 71, and Australia international Erin Burns, who weighed in with 21 not out in an unbroken partnership of 67 in 6.5 overs for the fifth wicket. For their part, Storm were left to rue missed opportunities, having twice dropped Armitage on 23 and 53.Fran Wilson had earlier raised a perfectly-judged innings of 61 off 63 balls as Storm recovered from a poor start to post 200-5 after losing the toss. Emma Corney made 40 at the top of the order, Nat Wraith struck a forthright 34 and overseas all-rounder Amanda-Jade Wellington provided a hard-hitting 27 at the death. Abi Glen was the pick of the Diamonds bowlers, claiming 2 for 24 from six overs.Diamonds inserted Storm on a drying surface and promptly reduced them to 26 for 2 in the powerplay, Glen and Rachel Slater removing Sophia Smale and Sophie Luff respectively. Determined to break the stranglehold and afford the innings impetus, Corney twice drove Glen down the ground for four in the ninth, Storm eventually realising 50 two overs later.Adept at working the gaps, Wilson proved an effective ally and acceleration came with the advent of Katie Levick’s leg breaks, Corney launching her over mid-wicket for another boundary. Hampered by a slow outfield, the third wicket pair nevertheless ran hard between the wickets to gain momentum, taking advantage of the College Ground’s short boundaries to punish the bad ball when it came along.Having contributed a 54-ball 40 in an increasingly progressive stand of 61 in 11 overs, Corney had a half century firmly in her sights when she took on Sophia Turner and miss-cued high to Kalis at point, just seconds before a heavy rain shower moved in to force the players off with the score on 87 for 3 at the end of 17 overs.The loss of a further four overs set the tone for the remainder of the innings, Wilson and Wraith engaging in frenetic running as the Diamonds bowlers were forced to contend with a wet ball. Wraith hit the ground running, scoring at better than a run-a-ball and registering the first six of the innings, while the assured Wilson also picked up the pace to move to 50 via 57 deliveries.Wraith drove Glen to short extra cover and departed for a 28-ball 34, but Wellington picked up the cudgels immediately, pulling Levick for a six over square and then driving compatriot Erin Burns for four in raising a quickfire 27 from just 14 balls. Applying pressure at the death, Wilson then hoisted Phoebe Turner high over mid-wicket for a massive six as Diamonds wilted under pressure.Carrying that momentum into the second half of the contest, Storm struck a couple of early blows, Ellie Anderson having Lauren Winfield-Hill held at point and Smale enticing Emma Marlow to miss-cue to extra cover. Wellington then passed up an opportunity to remove influential Diamonds skipper Armitage on 23, dropping what appeared to be a straightforward catch at mid-off and disappointing off spinner Chloe Skelton.It proved a costly slip, Armitage pulling a Wellington full toss for six to put the visitors ahead on DLS before the next rain break. When they re-emerged to chase a revised target of 199 from one over fewer, the third-wicket pair continued to power on, Armitage going to a 41-ball 50 with her fifth four, a pull shot to mid-wicket at the expense of Wellington.Trusting in pace off the ball and struggling to exert control in the soggy conditions, Storm needed a breakthrough. Niamh Holland provided inspiration, bowling Kalis via a bottom edge in the act of cutting, the Dutch international having contributed a valuable 37-ball 34 in a stand of 72 in 11 overs.Requiring 70 to win off 10 overs, Diamonds received another let-off when Armitage was dropped on 53 by Issy Wong on the deep mid-wicket boundary off the bowling of Holland. Alex Griffiths showed how it should be done later in the same over, holding on in the deep to send back Bess Heath for 10 and reduce the visitors to 132 for 4.But Armitage ensured the home side paid for their profligacy, finding the boundary with increasing regularity to provide acceleration at just the right time in a match-winning partnership with Burns, who used all of her experience to score 21 not out from 13 balls and ensure Diamonds reached their target without any further slip-ups.

England’s old stage-seizer sparks anarchic scenes on thrilling fourth day at Edgbaston

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Jun-2023The devil on Joe Root’s shoulder just before 11am. The demon terrorising Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith just before 7pm. A day in the life of Stuart Broad is rich and varied.On Monday, Broad added a new entry to his roller-dex of Ashes moments. A vital top-order dual hit on Labuschagne and Smith in the space of 12 deliveries means we enter the final day of a compelling first Test with victory as likely for England as Australia.Removing the No.1 and No.2-ranked batters in the world is worthy of dedicating a thousand words to Broad, particularly at a time when England were desperate for something to take with them into Tuesday. Most of those words might as well be Broad’s own from back in April, when he claimed he’d invented a mystery outswinger in order to get Labuschagne and Smith uncertain outside off stump … which is exactly what they proved to be when they came into his sights this evening.But we know the 36-year-old Broad does not simply bowl ‘top-of off wobble-seam, top-of-off wobble-seam, surprise outswinger’. He is a rambunctious spirit possessing an inner light that is less soothing and more strobe – and evidently infectious, as Root found out before walking out to play a reverse-ramp to the first ball of the morning, delivered by Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins”I sit next to Rooty in the changing room, and he just went, ‘I fancy a reverse-scoop for six, first ball’,” Broad revealed. “I said, ‘If it’s in your gut, you’ve got to go for it – that’s what we’re about.’ And he goes, ‘I’ll decide when I’m walking out’. Obviously he didn’t change his mind.”Root missed with that initial gambit. But the statement had been made. The dressing-room and crowd were immediately dialled up to 11. For that agenda-setting first half-hour, he remained a batter possessed, going on to successfully scoop Scott Boland for six and four in successive deliveries, until – with the field now dancing to his beat – he reverted briefly to more typical accumulative nudges. But then, on 46, he skipped down the track to Nathan Lyon and was stumped for the first time in his career.Stuart Broad wheels away in delight after dismissing Steve Smith during an inspired spell•AFP/Getty Images

It was from that point on England began losing their grip on the game, having had a fist-full of it at 129 for three – a lead of 136 – with Root and Harry Brook at ease and scoring freely. Were it not for important late-order runs, this game might be skewed much further Australia’s way. Broad finished unbeaten on 10 but ensured that 44 more were added during his time at the crease, alongside Ollie Robinson and James Anderson.”Today’s just been one of those days that sums up Ashes cricket really,” Broad said. “You’re getting ahead of the game, then you lose a wicket, you think you’re getting ahead of the game, then you lose a wicket again.”As for those key dismissals, Broad was asked if he has a mental edge over both, particularly after handing Labuschagne a first golden duck of his career in the first innings, as part of a haul of three for 68 that included bagging David Warner for a 15th time. “Be nice, wouldn’t it?” he said with a smile. “I’ve had a lot great battles, and they’ve probably won most of them.” He’s certainly winning this one.Related

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“One thing we know as a bowling group, you’ve got to try and put them under pressure early,” he added. “They’re the sort of guys, if they get to 30, 40, they don’t give it away cheaply. We know as a group we want to try and make them play as much as we possibly can early. They’ve scored a lot of runs against us as a group, so to see the back of them twice in this Test match without too much damage is awesome.”For Broad to have had the match he has so far is a testament to Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. As much for the rejuvenation in the quick’s career under their tenure as for the decision to select him in this fixture. Smith’s demise – the ball seaming away after angling in to catch an edge through to Jonny Bairstow – was Broad’s 50th wicket under the new regime, taking him to 587 overall.There is one more day for Broad to impose himself on this game, then plenty more beyond that, with four Tests to come. And as much as his own individual plans to the likes of Usman Khawaja and Travis Head will determine who ends up on top, there is a more collective approach to be adopted around striking a balance between attack and defence with unconventional fields, bordering on rascal.”When you’ve got a set target to defend, you’ve got to keep one eye on the boundaries as well,” Broad said. “And actually, on a pitch like this, where it’s quite slow and hard to create a mistake from a batter, you don’t want to leak too many runs easily waiting for that ball to break through. I think we’ll be smart with the fields we use. We need to protect the boundaries in certain players’ strengths. But ultimately our No.1 focus is to take wickets, and how do we do that? From creating pressure.”You’ll probably see more fielders scattered around, almost like in-out fields. You know how Warnie used to bowl?” he added. “He’d have four people around the bat and three people on the boundary. Three an over is not hurting you, then you get the wicket and you can apply some pressure.”Joe Root was egged on by Broad to deploy his ramp shot to the first ball of the day•Getty Images

Citing Shane Warne felt like a deliberate nod to the 2005 fixture here, which England secured by two runs on a pulsating final day. The similarity between the targets – 282 then, 281 now – and the fact Tuesday is also sold out adds to the sense that this Ashes series will recreate that great spectacle of 2005.”I’m quite conscious I don’t want to build up too much hype of that ’05 Edgbaston because I’m not sure we want that going to two runs tomorrow from our point of view, do we?” Broad said.But a veteran whose success has fundamentally come from his unrivalled feel of the game is all too aware of how the cards are lining up, on the field and off it. Four days in, it’s not hard to imagine that day five will be every bit as gripping as what’s gone before.”It does feel like the same energy as ’05,” Broad said. “And if we have a series like that we’re going to inspire a lot of kids to play the game, aren’t we?”

Peshwar Zalmi lose a second straight game after posting 240 or more on the board

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Mar-2023Rilee Rossouw brought jaws – and PSL records – down with an unbridled display of power-hitting, turning a chase of 243 into a cakewalk. Along the way, he made the joint-fastest fifty of the tournament, converted it into its fastest ever hundred – going past himself – and pushed the Multan Sultans into the PSL playoffs.Peshawar Zalmi – still not sure of their place in those playoffs – have now lost two straight matches despite posting 240 and more on the board. They were ambushed by Jason Roy a few nights ago and now it was Rossouw’s turn as the South African powerhouse clattered eight sixes and 12 fours to mastermind the second-highest chase in all of T20 history, with five balls to spare.The longest Rossouw went between boundaries in his innings was six balls. His first five scoring shots were all fours or sixes. And he kept going. By 17 deliveries faced, he had a fifty to his name. He only ran two of those runs. T-w-o. That detour into English county cricket via Kolpak had taken one of the biggest and brightest stars in South Africa away from the spotlight. But he’s back now and he’s got numbers that are scarcely believable. Over 297 T20s, he’s maintained an average over 30 and a strike rate over 140. Some of the other people who’ve managed to do that are Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, David Warner and AB de Villiers.Rossouw had a strong support cast helping him. Pollard chipped in with 52 off just 24 balls. Their third-wicket partnership – 99 off 43 balls – formed the bedrock of this chase. A little while earlier, when Sultans were bowling, 21-year old seamer Abbas Afridi, picked up 4 for 39. Three of those wickets came in the space of nine deliveries where he gave away only eight runs. In a game where where they were scored at the rate of two a ball, that was noteworthy.So too were Babar Azam (73 off 39) and Saim Ayub’s (58 off 33) fifties. Zalmi’s two openers were incredibly fluent at the start of the game, setting up such a strong platform that they could keep hitting despite the speed bumps that Afridi’s spell had put in front of them. At the halfway point, they would’ve felt fairly pleased with their work. The rest is now history.

Despite Ireland’s busy 2021 schedule, Test fixtures are conspicuous by their absence

Matt Roller05-Jan-2021Cricket Ireland is considering staging a home international series in England this summer, with a two-match T20I series against Pakistan the most likely option.Ireland have a packed home schedule in 2021 featuring 16 limited-overs fixtures. They will be unable to use one of their four home venues, with Clontarf unlikely to be ready to host international cricket after the square was re-laid, and while exploring their alternatives, they have been in talks with the ECB about hosting games on English soil.Ireland had intended to stage a T20I series against Bangladesh at four different county venues last summer before the Covid pandemic wiped out their home international season. They have home fixtures lined up against Pakistan (two T20Is), South Africa (three ODIs, three T20Is) and Zimbabwe (three ODIs, five T20Is) in 2021. The Pakistan fixtures – postponed from last summer – are due to be played before their tour of England in July, and are the most likely games to be moved.Related

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“Our international fixtures next summer are all quite compacted,” Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s high performance director, said. “We’re going to use all our international strips at the other venues and we’re not going to have room on those grounds to play every single game at home, so we’re speaking to the ECB about the possibility of [staging games in England].”The only team of the three that is going on to play England as well is Pakistan, so that looks like the most obvious series to play over there. We’re still waiting to hear back about scheduling, availability of grounds, and whether it’s financially viable before our board and match allocation group sign off on it. There’s a bit of way to go, but it looks possible.”Cricket Ireland is yet to discuss the possibility with the PCB, which is expecting at least one warm-up fixture to be arranged against a county in early July. Pakistan will be involved in the Asia Cup in June, with dates yet to be finalised.After a fallow 2020 which saw the men’s international team involved in only 12 games, the most recent of them their seven-wicket win in England on August 4, Ireland’s schedule this year is significantly busier, with seven ODIs – four against UAE, three against Afghanistan – to be played in Abu Dhabi this month. The A team, the Ireland Wolves, will then travel to Bangladesh for a long tour starting in February and set to include a four-day game, five one-day fixtures and two T20s.The postponed tour of Zimbabwe is due to be staged in April, though that looks in some doubt after another national lockdown caused Zimbabwe Cricket to cease all cricket activity earlier this week. A three-match, World Cup Super League ODI series is then scheduled for late May-early June in the Netherlands, leading into the home summer.There is still a possibility that the ill-fated Euro T20 Slam will be resurrected. Cricket Ireland is still confident that the concept of a three-nation franchise tournament involving teams from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands is viable, but after two postponements already, that may be wishful thinking. The T20 World Cup in India then follows after the end of the home season.While 2021 looks significantly busier in the white-ball formats, it remains unlikely that Ireland will play another Test until December, when they have pencilled in a rearranged one-off fixture in Sri Lanka. Ireland gave England a scare by bowling them out for 85 in their most recent Test, in July 2019, but they have not played in the format since. Cricket Ireland and the ECB have discussed the possibility of a Test in June, but at this stage, New Zealand are more likely to tour in that window.Andy Balbirnie has admitted his frustrations at Ireland’s lack of Test cricket•Getty Images

“Playing home Tests is just incredibly expensive without permanent infrastructure,” Holdsworth said. “We’ve had to look strategically at what we can do with the money that we’ve got and with three white-ball World Cups in the next three years, that’s what we’re focusing on.”We could spend half a million euros on staging a home Test, but what is the purpose? If we were pushing to get into the World Test Championship and there was an opportunity for promotion, there would be a very different rationale, but at the moment there is no context for our Test cricket.”Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain in all formats, admitted that it was “disappointing” not to have had more opportunities since gaining Test status in 2017, having played only three fixtures in those three-and-a-half years.”My last first-class game was the Test at Lord’s, which is staggering,” Balbirnie told ESPNcricinfo in an interview to be published this week. “There’s nothing we can do as players. I’ll look back on my career and maybe be a bit disappointed that when I was close to my peak, I wasn’t getting the opportunity to play at the highest level.”It’d be very handy for touring teams going to England to come over and play a Test like Pakistan did. Stuff like that could be so great for Irish cricket [but] the fact that it costs so much to host is just the way it is. I’m an Irish Test cricketer – it’s the best thing in the world, and I’m very fortunate to be [one]. But once you get a taste for it, you certainly want more of it.”

Maroof criticised the ICC for splitting points for a bilateral series that India failed to obtain government permission for

Danyal Rasool29-Apr-2020Pakistan women’s captain Bismah Maroof was critical of the ICC’s decision to split points between India and Pakistan for a bilateral series that India failed to obtain governemt permission to play.Maroof called the decision “deeply disappointing”, remarking it was “good luck” for India to have effectively been awarded points for nothing. The ICC decision means Pakistan miss out on automatic qualification for the 2021 Women’s World Cup, while India go through directly. Had the ICC decided to award full points to Pakistan, as they did in a similar scenario in 2016, it would have been Pakistan who went through, while India would have had to try to go through the qualifying route.”The decision was very disappointing, because we had been waiting [for] a long time to play against India and the board was working towards it,” Maroof said in a video press conference. “But we weren’t getting any response from India. It’s good luck for India, who got points without agreeing to play any matches. I suppose if we look at it in a positive light, we’ll get a few extra competitive matches having to play the qualifying rounds.”There’s always hype when we’re due to play India and the fans want to see those matches because they’re usually very exciting. Pakistan showed a willingness to play against India, and Pakistan have kept sport away from politics. So it was very disappointing for us not to get these matches, and we were number four, in a position to qualify directly, before the matches were due to go ahead. If we had lost those matches and then had to qualify, that would have been easy to accept. But as things stand, those matches will have been missed by all cricket fans, not just Pakistan fans.”The ICC decision, which came a fortnight ago, has caused significant malcontent at the PCB. The chairman Ehsan Mani went public in expressing his own disappointment with the ICC, while the PCB was swift to get in touch with cricket’s governing body to explore what further steps it could take.The dissatisfaction, however, has not spilled over into any public censure of the ICC; Mani’s statement aside, there has been virtually total silence from within the PCB by way of any further official communication. ESPNcricinfo understands the reason for this is the PCB’s legal team considering bringing litigation to the ICC’s dispute resolution committee. Maroof confirmed that should the legal team believe there were grounds to proceed in this manner, she would get behind it.”The PCB’s legal team is reviewing the decision as things stand. If they think there are grounds for a legal case, we should definitely proceed with one. It was very disappointing, and politics and sport should be kept separate,” she said.The PCB had attempted to engage with their Indian counterparts about the series on the sidelines of the last couple of ICC meetings, a series they viewed as a bilateral issue rather than one that needed ICC engagement. It appears they did not receive a meaningful response from the BCCI, either in writing or verbally.In 2016, the ICC decided to give Pakistan full points when India failed to show up for a series, but there is one difference that looks to have secured a more desirable outcome for the BCCI. On that occasion, the BCCI offered no written explanation for the failure to proceed with the series, and the technical investigation committee found the BCCI had not been able to establish “acceptable reasons” for non-participation in the series.This time around, the BCCI engaged with the ICC early on, making its stand clear about why it could not play Pakistan in the ODI series scheduled in 2019. ESPNcricinfo understands the BCCI made extensive submissions as early as 2018, demonstrating that it could not get the relevant permission from the Indian government to play Pakistan. That helped the ICC’s technical committee to invoke the force majeure clause on this occasion.”With respect to the India v Pakistan series, the TC (technical committee) concluded that the series could not be played because of a Force Majeure event after the BCCI demonstrated that it was unable to obtain the necessary government clearances to allow India to participate in the bilateral series against Pakistan, which forms a part of the ICC Women’s Championship,” the ICC said in a media release on April 15.Meanwhile, Maroof paid a glowing tribute to her former teammate and former Pakistan captain Sana Mir, who announced her retirement earlier this week, saying women’s cricket’s reputation and profile in Pakistan owed plenty to Mir.”Sana Mir is a legend of the game and an ambassador of Pakistan cricket. She was one of the great minds we all played under. We all grew under her, and the credit goes to her. The name women’s cricket has here exists in a large part because of Sana’s involvement with it. She has achieved a huge amount for Pakistan cricket, and she deserves all the praise she has received over the last few days. She is a true ambassador for women’s cricket around the world and I wish her good luck in whatever she wants to do next.”

India had plenty of positives to take from their warm-up game; Bangladesh not so much

Karthik Krishnaswamy01-Jun-2024Having endured a difficult IPL season on multiple fronts, Hardik Pandya served up a reminder of his elite all-round skills as India warmed up for the T20 World Cup with a 60-run win over Bangladesh in New York.Hardik scored an unbeaten 23-ball 40 and took 1 for 10 off his first two overs before conceding 20 in his third. But it was heartening for India to have their main allrounder influence the game as he did, in conditions – the pitch was two-paced and the outfield slow – that helped his bowling but not necessarily his batting. The other headline acts came from Rishabh Pant, who retired out after scoring a breezy 32-ball 53, and Arshdeep Singh, who took two wickets in a spell of incisive new-ball swing.

No Kohli, no Jaiswal either

Virat Kohli only landed in New York on the eve of this match, so it was expected that he wouldn’t play the warm-up fixture. It wasn’t expected, though, that Yashasvi Jaiswal – the other candidate to open alongside Rohit Sharma – didn’t play any part either. India opened, instead, with Rohit and Sanju Samson.It could have been an audition for first-choice wicketkeeper. On the day, Samson scored 1 off 6, and was lbw in the second over to a Shoriful Islam in-ducker. There seemed to be a chance that this ball may have gone on to miss leg stump, but DRS was not in use so Samson had to go.

Pant fires at No. 3

Pant replaced Samson, and proceeded to play the most fluent innings of the day. India were 33 for 1 in five overs when he began their acceleration with three sixes off Shakib Al Hasan in the sixth. He hit four fours and four sixes in all, and targeted the area behind the wicket with aplomb, using the reverse-sweep and his trademark no-look scoop over short fine leg to telling effect.Pant kept wicket too, rather than Samson, and by the end of the day it seemed fairly certain that he would take the big gloves on Wednesday, when India begin their tournament proper against Ireland.Arshdeep Singh took two wickets with the new ball•ICC via Getty Images

Allrounder watch

Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik were the other major contributors to India’s total of 182 for 5, scoring a combined 71 off 41, while Shivam Dube, who batted between them at No. 5, struggled with the conditions. Dube swung at the spinners repeatedly, but only made one true connection, a massive six over wide long-off, while scoring 14 off 16.Then, having only bowled just the one over in 14 games during the IPL, he proceeded to bowl three here and pick up two wickets, though Bangladesh were already 42 for 5 when he came on.Ravindra Jadeja batted at No. 7, but Axar Patel, India’s other left-arm fingerspinner, bowled before him and picked up a wicket. It remains to be seen which of the two feature in India’s first XI, or if they go with both and leave out the wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav.India play three of their four group-stage games in New York, and if conditions remain broadly similar, they may be able to get quite a bit of bowling out of their four allrounders – Hardik, Jadeja, Axar and Dube.

Arshdeep vs Siraj

Jasprit Bumrah is the first name on the bowling end of India’s team sheet, but who partners him with the new ball? On this day, Arshdeep made a serious case for himself, swinging the new ball prodigiously and getting Soumya Sarkar and Litton Das out in Test-match manner.Mohammed Siraj was excellent too, getting the ball to behave awkwardly from a hard length, and dismissing Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto with one such delivery that cramped him for room. On the evidence of their displays here, India will have a hard task picking just one of these two, assuming they go with two frontline quicks and Hardik as the third seamer.

Problems for Bangladesh

For Bangladesh, who came into this match on the back of a shock series defeat to USA, the result reinforced major worries going into the World Cup, chiefly their long-standing lack of power-hitting. India hit ten sixes in their 20 overs, and Bangladesh just one. Of the four batters who faced at least 10 balls in their chase of 183, only one – Mahmudullah, who top-scored with a 28-ball 40 – went at above a run a ball.Mahmudullah also bowled two tidy overs and dismissed Rohit, and took the catch of the day to send back Dube, sprinting to his right from long-on and juggling the ball expertly while stepping out of and then back into the field of play. All in all, it was a good day for the 38-year-old.Bangladesh suffered an injury scare when left-arm quick Shoriful left the field five balls into India’s final over when he attempted to stop a straight hit from Hardik and took a painful hit to his left hand. The extent of his injury wasn’t clear by the time the game ended.The margin of India’s victory, however, may have been inflated by the resources available to the two teams. India’s quicks did the bulk of their early damage, picking up four wickets between them to reduce Bangladesh to 41 for 5. Bangladesh, however, only bowled five overs of genuine pace – and one of gentle medium-pace from Soumya Sarkar. This was because they rested both Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, both of whom could have caused India problems on this pitch.

Mir Hamza and Faheem Ashraf have made comebacks to the squad, which will be led for the first time by Shan Masood

Danyal Rasool20-Nov-2023Opening batter Saim Ayub and fast bowler Khurram Shahzad are in line for Test debuts after being included in Pakistan’s squad for their upcoming tour of Australia.Pakistan, under newly-appointed red-ball captain Shan Masood, will play three Tests on the tour, in Perth (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 3-7).The 21-year-old Ayub has already played eight T20Is for Pakistan, and comes into the Test team with 1069 first-class runs at an average of 46.47, including scores of 203 and 109 in his most recent game in October, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final. Shahzad has also been picked on form, having ended the 2023-24 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as its top wicket-taker with 36 at an average 20.30.Left-arm quick Mir Hamza was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament (32 at 20.87), and this has earned him a recall. The last of his three Tests was against New Zealand in January. Also back in the squad is the seam-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf, the last of whose 16 Tests was in December 2022.Pakistan Test squad for the tour of Australia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Apart from Naseem Shah, who continues his recovery from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the recently concluded World Cup in India, Pakistan’s pace attack will also be without Haris Rauf, who has made himself unavailable for selection. Newly appointed chief selector Wahab Riaz made his disappointment clear while announcing the squad: “Haris pulled out at the last moment, and I feel this will hurt Pakistan cricket.”Both wicketkeepers Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan were part of the squad, with Sarfaraz understood to be first choice. He replaced Rizwan in the Test side last year, and has retained his place in the last four Tests across two series.Abrar Ahmed’s selection further cements his place as Pakistan’s premier red-ball spinner, with Noman Ali chosen as his back-up option. Spin options across formats have been a matter of intense scrutiny in Pakistan, with legspinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir turning in disappointing performances through the World Cup. Abrar went to the World Cup as a reserve player, but was not called up to the main squad.Pakistan have an unenviable record in Australia, having lost their last 14 Test matches on the bounce there.Pakistan squad for Australia Test series: Shan Masood (capt), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi

Fast bowler welcomes clampdown on online abuse but says more needs to be done

George Dobell14-Sep-20201:48

Holding: Sportspersons have the platform to make a difference

Jofra Archer has claimed Michael Holding “doesn’t know anything that is going on behind the scenes” after he criticised England and Australia for failing to take a knee during their limited-overs series.Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has been a vocal advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months. As well as providing impassioned testimony of his experiences on Sky and with ESPNcricinfo, he welcomed the decision of the England, West Indies and Ireland teams to register their respect for the movement by taking a knee ahead of their Test and ODI fixtures earlier this season.But he described the failure of Pakistan, Australia and England to do so ahead of their recent matches as “lame” and suggested individual players could unilaterally make the gesture if they wanted to “send a signal” to show they “accept things need to change”.But Archer, England’s Barbados-born fast bowler, has insisted nobody involved within the England set-up has “forgotten” about the movement and claimed progress is being made “in the background”.”I’m pretty sure Michael Holding doesn’t know anything that is going on behind the scenes,” Archer said. “I don’t think he has spoken to [ECB chief executive] Tom Harrison.”I’ve spoken to Tom and we have stuff running in the background. We’ve not forgotten. No-one here has forgotten about Black Lives Matter.Jofra Archer, back in the light blue of England’s ODI team•Getty Images

“I think that is a bit harsh for him to say that. I think it is a bit harsh for Mikey to not do some research before criticising.”The “background” measures referred to by Archer include the ECB setting up an Inclusion and Diversity taskforce, a commitment to increasing the representation of non-white individuals in leadership roles, a game-wide anti-discrimination charter and a bursary scheme for young black coaches, with a focus on “leadership, education and opportunity”. There will also be a further drive to reintroduce cricket in primary schools, with a focus on ethnically diverse areas.But Holding, responding to Archer’s comments, told ESPNcricinfo there should be no conflict between taking action in the background and continuing to make a gesture in public.”Taking a knee does not prevent other action from taking place,” Holding said. “Those who take a knee are not substituting the gesture for other positive action.ALSO READ: Holding on Black Lives Matter – England excuses are ‘lame’“Nobody should have a problem with it. It is a worldwide recognition of calling attention to racial prejudice and injustice.”Meanwhile, Archer welcomed the crackdown by social media companies upon those making racial abuse online. But he did suggest legislation “might have to go a bit further” given that he continues to receive abuse on a regular basis.”I think a lot of stuff is being put into place now,” he said. “People can be prosecuted a bit easier, but I think it might have to go a bit further because some people still aren’t worried about what can happen to them.”I had one the other day; the guy blamed it on being drunk. My mum would always say ‘you can’t think for people’. As long as there is social media and the person doesn’t have to confront you it will still go on.”I feel the love from fans, too. But there’s still a small percentage, you know? I may be doing well but I saw one lady comment on my [gold] chains. Chains have nothing to do with cricket. If she knew me she would know I’ve worn chains from the time I was 14 or 15 years old. You can’t make everyone happy, but the majority of people in England are happy and that makes me happy.”All we can do is try to act accordingly, report it and do what’s best. At the end of the day I think I’m strong enough to deal with it, but what happens when they start targeting someone who isn’t as mentally strong and it starts affecting them? We’ve got to try and stamp it out as much as possible now.”

Newsfile: All the updates in the lead-up to the 2020-21 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2021
On being asked by the BCCI, the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) has released India’s latest pace sensation T Natarajan from the upcoming 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy to keep him fresh for the limited-overs series against England next month. Natarajan had played non-stop cricket from the IPL in September to the Test series in Australia last month, staying in biosecure bubbles throughout for five straight months. He has also been rested for the ongoing Tests against England.”The BCCI and the Indian team management wanted Natarajan to be fresh for the white-ball leg of the series against England. Keeping the Indian team’s interests in mind we said yes,” TNCA secretary RS Ramasaamy told PTI.The India-England limited-overs series begins with the five T20Is from March 12 in Ahmedabad, followed by the three ODIs that will go on until March 28. As India’s white-ball squads have not been announced yet, it remains to be seen if Natarajan will be picked for both formats or if he will be rested for some of the games.Twenty-two-year-old right-arm quick RS Jaganath Sinivas will take Natarajan’s place in the 20-member Tamil Nadu squad which will leave for Indore on February 13. After clearing three Covid-19 Tests, they will be playing their first game against Punjab on February 20, having also been grouped with Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Andhra Pradesh in Group E.Natarajan was earlier included in a 20-man Tamil Nadu squad for the tournament. Tamil Nadu had recently won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Ahmedabad.Meanwhile, Hanuma Vihari has passed his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and is available to lead Andhra.Vihari had torn his left hamstring on the fifth day of the third Test against Australia in Sydney. However, he kept on batting and helped India salvage a draw in the company of R Ashwin.In case Vihari is selected for the last two Tests against England, A Brahma Teja will replace him in the Andhra squad.
Mumbai will persist with Shreyas Iyer as their captain for the upcoming 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, starting February 20. Iyer, who leads the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, had a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the recent T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where Mumbai, led by Suryakumar Yadav, had a horror run, winning just one of their five group-stage matches to finish bottom of the Elite Group E table.Iyer was the captain when Mumbai won the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, beating Delhi in the final by four wickets, though he started the season as deputy to Ajinkya Rahane. He then led Mumbai last season, when they reached the quarter-final stage.Prithvi Shaw, meanwhile, has been named Iyer’s deputy in the 22-man squad, which includes other internationals like Shivam Dube and Dhawal Kulkarni. Mumbai had earlier named Ramesh Powar their coach for the season after Amit Pagnis resigned following the poor show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.Mumbai are in Elite Group D [all matches in Jaipur] for the tournament, clubbed with Delhi, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Puducherry.Squad: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akhil Herwadkar, Suryakumar Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Chinmay Sutar, Aditya Tare (wk), Hardik Tamore, Shivam Dube, Aakash Parkar, Atif Attarwala, Shams Mulani, Atharva Ankolekar, Sairaj Patil, Sujit Nayak, Tanush Kotian, Prashant Solanki, Dhawal Kulkarni, Tushar Deshpande, Siddharth Raut, Mohit Awasthi.Krunal Pandya to lead Baroda
Krunal Pandya is back to take charge of Baroda in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, with Kedar Devdhar, who led them to the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy recently after Pandya lost his father and left for home, named his deputy.Baroda are placed in Elite Group A, alongside Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Hyderabad, Tripura and Goa, with their opening match on February 20 against Goa – all the matches in the group will be played in Surat.Squad: Krunal Pandya (capt), Kedar Devdhar (vice-capt), Pratyushkumar, Vishnu Solanki, Abhimanyusingh Rajput, Smit Patel (wk), Ninad Rathwa, Atit Sheth, Kartik Kakade, Lukman Meriwala, Babashafi Pathan, Dhruv Patel, Bhargav Bhatt, Bhanu Pania, Chintal Gandhi, Parth Kohli, Jyotsnil Singh, Mitesh Patel (wk), Soeb Sopariya, Shivalik Sharma, Pradeep Yadav, Pratik Ghodedra.

Danny Lamb, George Balderson share six wickets as Will Williams impresses on debut

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2022Warwickshire 292 (Hain 130, D Lamb 3-43, Balderson 3-68) vs Lancashire Sam Hain’s high-class century kept Warwickshire afloat as Lancashire’s bowlers impressed on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.The home side was all out for 292 just before the close with Hain the last to fall for 130. The accomplished knock continued the 26-year-old’s excellent red-ball form, his last four championship innings having brought 449 runs for twice out.After choosing to bat, Warwickshire leaned heavily on Hain as other batters got in but then found ways of getting out against a Red Rose attack which persevered well on a good batting pitch.