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Joe Denly and Adil Rashid shared seven wickets as England closed out victory in their final white-ball encounter of the tour

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo27-Oct-20181:39

Social Story: Denly’s back!

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJason Roy – dropped three times – thwacked 69 off 36, Moeen Ali smote 27 off 11 while the lower-middle order rallied, and England lurched in fits and starts to 187 for 8, which would prove 30 too many for Sri Lanka.The target was imposing enough by itself, with only one greater total having been successfully chased at Khettarama. But when Joe Denly, playing in his first England international in almost nine years, removed both Sri Lanka openers with his virtually non-turning legspin, Sri Lanka’s pursuit was seriously imperilled. England’s other legspinner – the main one – Adil Rashid then claimed three wickets through the middle overs to essentially seal victory for his team.Between them, Rashid and Denly accounted for Sri Lanka’s top five, and had them well behind the asking rate. Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera slammed his way to 57 off 31 balls for the remainder of the innings, but his team had lost too much ground to make even that innings meaningful. The hosts limped, eventually, to 157 all out by the end of 20 overs, Denly claiming career-best figures of 4 for 19.England, and Roy in particular, made their intentions felt in the very first over. Running down the pitch to Lasith Malinga, Roy thumped him over long-off for six second ball, before glancing the fourth ball to the fine leg boundary for four. Sri Lanka tried to target Roy with the left-arm spin of Amila Aponso, perhaps working off the theory that he was susceptible to that form of bowling early in his innings. It didn’t work – Roy thrashed two fours off Aponso’s first two balls.The spinner would have more luck at the other end, in his second over, however, dismissing Roy’s opening partner Jos Buttler, and Alex Hales in the space of four balls. That prompted a brief respite from Roy’s onslaught – a period of about four overs when he did not hit a boundary. The big hits would resume soon enough, though.The ninth over, bowled by Lakshan Sandakan, was the most eventful over of the innings, and perhaps the definitive one of the game. Batting at the time on 34 off 25 balls, Roy top edged the second ball, and sent a miscued slog-sweep high to deep midwicket. But the substitute fielder, Sadeera Samarawickrama, spilled the straightforward chance, after which Roy nailed a slog-sweep into the western stand. Fourth ball, another top edge, this one to Dasun Shanaka at long-off. That was also grassed. Last ball, Sandakan should have had Ben Stokes lbw as well, only for the umpire to deny him, and his team-mates to refuse the review.Adil Rashid made important inroads•Getty Images

Roy, who was dropped again in the next over, clobbered 34 runs off 11 balls after his first reprieve. Stokes made 24 off his next 21. Between these two innings and that of Moeen, who struck three sixes and a four off his first 10 balls despite having arrived in the 12th over with four wickets already down, England were powered to their daunting total.Denly, who produced a useful 20 off 17 with the bat as well, might not have been the kind of bowler that worried Sri Lanka before this match, but he nevertheless was the first to push them off course, before Rashid truly toppled them later on. He slipped a ball under Kusal Mendis’ ambitious slog-sweep with the last ball of his first over – Kusal making a return to single-figure limited-overs scores, after hitting a half-century in the last ODI. Niroshan Dickwella, who is perhaps the form batsman of this top order, was out in almost identical fashion in Denly’s next over.Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva threatened to rebuild – even if Sri Lanka were already struggling in terms of run rate – but Rashid’s arrival at the bowling crease the moment the Powerplay ended, swung the match decisively for England. He had Chandimal caught attempting a reverse-slog in his first over, then dismissed Kamindu Mendis and de Silva in the space of three deliveries in his third, conceding only 11 runs – no boundaries – right through his four-over spell.Aside from Thisara’s late fifty, debutant Kamindu’s all-round performance might have been the only real positive for the hosts. Not only did he deliver both left-arm orthodox and right-arm offbreaks for the first time in an international match since 1996 (Sri Lanka’s Hashan Tillakaratne had been the last to do it), his batting was also full of promise. In 14 balls at the crease, he struck three fours and a six, before eventually holing out attempting a slog-sweep. For now, his batting appears his foremost cricketing talent, even if the uniqueness of his bowling will command more headlines.

For a few moments, West Indies looked in danger of losing to Papua New Guinea, chasing a target of 201. But their captain Jason Holder took charge to lead the team across the line

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2018
ScorecardCarlos Brathwaite is beside himself with joy•IDI via Getty Images

For a few moments, West Indies looked in danger of losing to Papua New Guinea, chasing a target of 201.Chris Gayle was not playing. Their other firebrand opener, Evin Lewis, fell in the second over. They slumped to 58 for 4 to spur the possibility of a spectacular upset. But the captain Jason Holder came out and took charge, scoring an unbeaten 99 off 101 deliveries to seal his team’s second win in as many matches.Prior to the start of the Qualifier, West Indies coach Stuart Law had expected low-scoring scraps. “It is not going to be making 300-plus and then bowling teams out. It is going to be working out how to get to 180 to 220 and then deciding how to get the 10 wickets. We have to lower that target just to make sure we are safe to play better cricket or make better decisions out in the middle and get the job done.”Although they were the ones chasing against Papua New Guinea on Thursday, the same principles applied. Shai Hope came in to bat in the second over and played a Test-match innings, scoring 49 off 115 balls while his captain took care of the big-hitting at the other end. Holder began with back-to-back fours. He cruised to his fifty off 65 balls, then leapt from 70 to 93 in the space of two overs and was eyeing a maiden ODI century as the game reached its climax. He was 98 not out. West Indies needed one run to win. Holder was content taking the single and walking off with the win.As a result, PNG were knocked out of the tournament. Their captain Assad Vala had top-scored with 57 off 89 balls, but was one of only four batsmen who managed double-figures. Carlos Brathwaite was the reason for such a state of affairs, picking up his first five-for in ODIs and instigating a collapse which pinned PNG down from 151 for 4 to 169 for 9.

Roshen Silva produces the standout performance with 231 not out, but there were several other notable knocks as both matches tapered into draws

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2018The first round of Sri Lanka’s Super Four Provincial Tournament – the first of its kind since 2013 – produced two draws, with Roshen Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan, Niroshan Dickwella, Mahela Udawatte and Sachithra Senanayake making hundreds in batting-friendly conditions.Among the major criticisms of Sri Lanka’s club-based first-class tournaments is that bowlers are not often made to toil long in the field, so dusty are the pitches. That has not been the case here. Only Lahiru Gamage – a right-arm seam bowler – claimed a five-wicket haul, from no fewer than 26 overs. Where in club cricket, spinners are so dominant that seam bowlers often become completely superfluous, this round of the Super Fours saw quicks reap healthy dividends for their toil, Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara also claiming six wickets apiece for the Kandy team. That the Dukes cricket ball is in use in this tournament – a ploy that is intended to prepare the Sri Lanka Test players for their forthcoming tour of the West Indies – perhaps aided the quicks as well.But it was Roshen Silva who produced the standout performance, hitting 231 not out off 392 deliveries for the Galle team, against Colombo, at Sooriyawewa. The innings had been something of a rescue. Galle had found themselves 22 for 4 on the first morning, before Silva’s 202-run stand with Dasun Shanaka, who made 95 off 157 deliveries, carried the side towards respectability.A further 97-run stand with Chaturanga de Silva wrested the advantage from Colombo, and then Silva struck up a series of useful partnerships with the tail to propel Galle to a formidable 476 all out. The opposition attack featured offspinner Dilruwan Perera, and quicks Vishwa Fernando and Dushmantha Chameera. Chameera only bowled 11 overs, however, before back stiffness forced him out of the match. He was taken for precautionary CT scans.In response, Lahiru Thirimanne’s 125 was the centrepiece of Colombo’s 333, with Dhananjaya de Silva also hitting 66 off 59 balls from the No. 3 position – his new Test-match batting spot. When Galle batted again, the pitch had become no more treacherous, Lahiru Milantha and Sadeera Samarawickrama hitting 74 and 77 respectively, as the game wound to a draw.In the Kandy v Dambulla match, played at Katunayake, incumbent Test keeper Niroshan Dickwella produced an aggressive 112 after Priyanjan had made the game’s biggest score, hitting 156 off 239 balls. Mahela Udawatte also had an excellent game, his first-innings 97 and second-innings 103 not out vital to Kandy securing a draw, after Dambulla had made 480 in the first innings. Sachithra Senanayake was modest with the ball, but produced a 105 and a 60 with the bat. The quicks from both sides – Gamage, Kumara and Rajitha – substantially outperformed the spinners in this match.

Hosts left nine down overnight, still 33 runs from the victory they need to avoid relegation

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay26-Sep-2025Hampshire 248 and 148 for 9 (Orr 48, Chahar 7-45) need a further 33 runs to beat Surrey 147 and 281 (Albert 63, Abbott 5-72)Hampshire sat on the brink of Rothesay County Championship relegation after Surrey leg-spinner Rahul Chahar ploughed through them at Utilita Bowl.India international Chahar, in his first Championship appearance, made the most of a turning pitch to take 7 for 45 and see Hampshire collapse from 61 without loss to 148 for 9. The south coast county need to avoid defeat to stay in Division One next season, but in their chase of 181 they struggled to 148 for 9.Bad light stopped play at 4.35pm, to leave them on tenterhooks overnight, with 33 runs still needed – and statisticians CricViz offering a 14% chance of Hampshire managing it.Surrey began the day with four wickets in hand, but Hampshire bumbled their way through the morning – setting up a wretched day – taking 23 overs to finish the innings and giving up 55 runs in the process.It began fine, when Ali Orr pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch over his shoulder to see off Tom Lawes in the fifth over of the day. The wicket also handed Kyle Abbott his fourth five-wicket haul of the season, and took his tally to 56 scalps, beating last season’s tally of 55.Ralphie Albert reached 63 before hooking to long leg, but Matt Fisher scrapped and frustrated the hosts with Chahar and James Taylor.Fisher safely batted for almost an hour and a half for 22 not out, with Chahar hanging around for half an hour before swiping to the leg-side boundary rider. Taylor then blocked for 45 balls before James Fuller finally found an outside edge.Hampshire had been a bowler light, after Washington Sundar split the webbing in his hand fielding a ball off his own bowling the previous evening, and were facing a tough chase. The previous highest successful chase at Utilita Bowl this season had been the 148 they chased five down against Yorkshire in the opening fixture.A tricky over before lunch, which saw Fisher get so close to Orr’s outside edge that he thought it had been tickled through to Ben Foakes, was negotiated.Orr rode his luck when he was put down at short cover, but largely he and Fletcha Middleton appeared comfortable as they ticked off the runs. The first 50 runs flowed in 12 overs, with Orr especially fluent, and fears of the drop eased. But then they stuttered, the ball started to rag and the grey clouds of relegation gathered.From 61 without loss, Hampshire lost eight wickets for 59 runs – with Dan Lawrence and Chahar running amok on a pitch now turning. Middleton inexplicably missed a straight full toss, before Nick Gubbins was lbw to a Lawrence delivery that spun sharply and didn’t bounce.Chahar turned a ball from straight into the top of off stump to dislodge Toby Albert before Ben Brown was lbw to Lawrence and Orr missed a googly to depart for 48.Liam Dawson chased a wide ball from Chahar but drilled straight to short cover before Washington edged a half-volley to slip and Abbott’s under-edged to the keeper after tea as the malaise continued.Fuller had provided some resistance but now had to shepherd No. 11 Brad Wheal, often turning down runs as Wheal blocked 22 deliveries to keep Hampshire alive.The tension was extended overnight as gloomy conditions got too bad even for spin from both ends, meaning Hampshire need 33 runs in the morning or – depending on Durham’s fortunes up in Leeds – likely drop into Division Two.

Jansen misses out as he’s recovering from surgery to his left thumb while Miller will be playing in the Hundred

Firdose Moonda24-Jul-2025South Africa’s regular white-ball captains Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma will return to lead the T20I and ODI squads, respectively, for next month’s tour of Australia. Markram was rested from South Africa’s Test and T20I series in Zimbabwe while Bavuma missed the Zimbabwe Tests with a hamstring injury he sustained at the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June. Both skippers will have relatively full-strength squads available to them.Notably, the squad was announced a week before Patrick Moroney, the new convenor of selectors, starts work on August 1, which means this was the last squad that all-format Shukri Conrad picked independently.”It’s great to have our senior players back in the mix after their rest following the WTC Final,” Conrad said in a statement. “Their experience and quality add real value to the group as we continue to build a strong core in both formats. Every series from here on plays a part in shaping our squads for next year’s T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup at home in 2027.”Of South Africa’s regulars, Marco Jansen and David Miller are the only two not named. Jansen is recovering from surgery to his left thumb from an issue picked up at the WTC final, while Miller will be playing in the Hundred. He is expected to return for South Africa’s white-ball tour of England in September.South Africa’s squads for Australia tour•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The rest of South Africa’s frontline attack, led by Kagiso Rabada in the seam department and Keshav Maharaj in the spin one, are all included. But Maharaj is not part of the T20I squad.Instead, left-arm spinners George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy, who are both currently in Zimbabwe, will play the T20Is alongside legspinner Nqaba Peter as South Africa assess their options for next year’s T20 World Cup. Tabraiz Shamsi, who opted out of a national contract last year, is not included in either squad. Conrad had indicated prior to the Zimbabwe series that he would speak to Shamsi to discuss his future.”Unfortunately, things got away from me, and I was never able to have that chat,” he said. “The spinners who have been selected have the inside track.”South Africa’s T20I playing group sees the return of Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs to the batting line-up, and the retention of Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, who are both in Zimbabwe. Lungi Ngidi, Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch and Kwena Maphaka make up the seamers, but Gerald Coetzee is not included.Rassie van der Dussen was not included in the ODI squad for Australia•Zimbabwe Cricket

“There are only so many quicks you can put in your team in terms of balance,” Conrad said. “The players who have been selected are ahead of Gerald in the pecking order. In the 50-over squad, I wanted to try and get as many allrounders in the squad. You cannot ignore what Corbin Bosch has done. Gerald sits behind him.”The ODI squad’s batting line-up has the four named above as well Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi. Wiaan Mulder provides an all-round option in Jansen’s absence. While Rassie van der Dussen, who has South Africa’s second-highest ODI average, is not included in the ODI squad, Conrad also conceded that he is “very much in contention for the T20 World Cup”.”He gives you the option of batting at the top and at No. 3, and he is a great in a leadership role. With the 50-over [team], because I’ve got time before 2027, it gives me the opportunity to blood new players and see how they develop.”

T20I squad

Aiden Markram (capt), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen

ODI squad

Temba Bavuma (capt), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen

Where Jason Holder’s team are counting on its aggression, Australia are hoping to induce errors by creating pressure with their bowling and fielding

The Preview by Daniel Brettig05-Jun-20192:29

Hodge: Australia attack’s versatility might get them over the line

Big Picture

A lot about the meeting between Australia and West Indies at Trent Bridge will be determined by a single question: which West Indies side will turn up?If it is the one that razed Pakistan in their tournament opener, also at Trent Bridge, or the one that clouted New Zealand into submission in the warm-up match, then Australia may well be in for a very difficult time of it, having stuttered their way through an opening victory over Afghanistan in Bristol. However, Aaron Finch’s men have already beaten West Indies once on this tour, and comfortably at that, in their own warm-up match on a postage stamp of a ground in Hampshire. And prior to that, the Caribbean side were near enough bullied into losing a triangular series final to an increasingly confident and capable Bangladesh at picturesque Malahide in Ireland.Australia’s coach Justin Langer certainly gave some indication as to the capriciousness of West Indies cricket – in contrast to the awe-inspiring consistency – allied to flair, that he saw as a child in Perth when watching the teams of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards. “One thing we know about West Indies, particularly with Andre Russell and Chris Gayle, it’s going to be exciting cricket,” Langer said. “When I was growing up it was calypso cricket and I think we’re seeing plenty of signs of calypso cricket, the way they’re running in, bowling fast, they’re not necessarily going to be bowling the same spot every ball like Curtly Ambrose, but it’s going to be exciting to watch and they all try to hit sixes most balls. Darren Bravo’s a little more orthodox but [it’s] always exciting playing West Indies. When I was growing up, they were my heroes and they’re not my heroes today because I hope we beat them on Thursday.”While Jason Holder’s team have sought to be aggressive in everything they do, Langer and Finch have resolved to play a tighter game. They will be hoping to use the pressure of their bowling and fielding, in addition to the resourcefulness of a batting line-up being kept as deep as possible by the preference of Nathan Coulter-Nile over others, to corner West Indies into errors. Chief among their methods will be liberal use of the short ball, something the Caribbean side also used to good effect against Pakistan. The likelihood of a dry surface at Trent Bridge, as seen in the game between England and Pakistan, will also encourage balls banged in with a cross-seam for another reason – extracting old-ball movement.IDI via Getty Images

Form guide (last five completed matches)

Australia WWWWW
West Indies WLLWL

In the spotlight

It’s a little over six years since Mitchell Starc laid waste to West Indies on a memorable afternoon at the WACA Ground, finding extremes of swing and pace that remain in the mind’s eye of all who witnessed it. He produced a similarly destructive afternoon in 2015 at Eden Park, taking Australia within a wicket of a World Cup pool-game victory their batting scarcely deserved. This time around, he comes to Trent Bridge having looked to be revving into strong form against Afghanistan. While short balls will be a focus of the Australian attack, Starc’s most dangerous deliveries are undoubtedly full, fast and swinging down the line of the stumps. Mixed-up footwork created by liberal use of the short ball can often allow for the full ball to be even more dangerous, as Gayle, Bravo and Holder will remember from that day in Perth.If it was his batting that turned so many heads in the IPL, Andre Russell proved against Pakistan he is also more than capable of being a match-winner with the ball. Against Australia, Russell has provided plenty of evidence of his skills in the BBL, but he last played them in ODIs in 2013, meaning that first-hand experience among his opponents will be relatively slight. In the warm-up game in Hampshire, Russell faced only four deliveries, bowled by Adam Zampa, and delivered three overs for 17. If West Indies are to win, they will need much more out of Russell, and both sides know it.

Team news

Australia have flagged an unchanged line-up, resisting the possibility of recalling Nathan Lyon as a second spinner in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam ZampaKemar Roach is waiting in the wings should West Indies want to alter the balance of their pace-bowling attack after its undemanding outing against Pakistan. Gayle and Russell were both at training on the eve of the game. “Chris was at practice for the last couple days, so Chris for me is all well and ready to go. Andre will be obviously assessed today, and we’re very, very hopeful that he’ll be fit tomorrow.” Holder said, adding that the team will go by what the two men have to say about their fitness.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

Trent Bridge, known for high-scoring, did not disappoint in Pakistan’s unexpected victory over England. It will be the 481 pitch, by the way, but the pitch and square can be expected to be dry, with the hunt for reverse swing – by legal means, of course – likely to be some sort of a factor.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Strategy punts

• Spin bowling was a strong suit for Australia in their warm-up against West Indies, as Zampa, Glenn Maxwell and Steven Smith bowled a combined 14 overs for returns of 3 for 67. The ground dimensions that day were small, but there has been no inclination from Langer at least to add to the repertoire by calling in Lyon. “That is because of their left-handers. That said we probably won’t bowl two spinners here against West Indies. There’s always thoughts about Nathan Lyon, every game there’s thoughts about playing Nathan Lyon, but Adam Zampa’s doing a really good job for us. There is thinking about him because of their left-handers but Adam Zampa has a very good wrong’un, good top spinner, Glenn Maxwell’s bowling well, so hopefully we’ll get some balance there. Some of the other grounds we might look to play two spinners or the match-ups for the offspinner will be more appropriate but probably not here.” Either way, Holder’s men will need to find a way to deal more effectively with Zampa and Maxwell in particular, mixing strike-rotation with judicious attack.
• West Indies have made a clear decision to give the new ball to bowlers who will gain swing and seam, reserving the “bang it in” merchants until after some of the Kookaburra’s shine has worn off. They will be the latest group of pacemen to try to exploit Finch’s well-documented flaw when facing deliveries moving back into him from outside the off stump, as classically illustrated by Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Pradeep during a warm-up game that otherwise went swimmingly for the Australians at Southampton. Finch, having made an aggressive 66 against Afghanistan, appears to have found the freedom to launch in the fashion of his best days, while his partner Warner tries to find his best as an international opener after a year’s suspension. The combination of an open, aggressive Finch and probing new ball work from the West Indies has great risk/reward potential for both sides.

Stats and Trivia

• Australia have won only three of eight ODI appearances at Trent Bridge, and their most recent match here was a 242-run hiding by England last year. By contrast, West Indies have only lost once in eight games at the venue, and that was as far back as 1984.
• Of all Australia and West Indies bowlers to have competed against one another, only Len Pascoe’s 21 wickets at 13.52 from eight matches have come at a cheaper rate than Mitchell Starc’s 16 at 13.87 in six.

Quotes

“We expect some fireworks from the West Indies. There’s going to be times where the boys are going to have to take a deep breath and keep smiling and bowling their best ball. But that comes with experience and that’s what great teams and great players do.”

“You’ve got two short balls per over; you might as well use them”

The global players’ body said limiting players to two T20 leagues a year could amount to “unlawful restraints of trade”

Umar Farooq10-May-2018Restricting players to two T20 leagues a year, as the PCB has done, could amount to “unlawful restraints of trade”, according to FICA (the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations), the global players’ body. And even as the PCB finally sought to explain the rationale behind the policy, the restriction has also raised concerns among a number of player agents, who believe this could hurt the national side’s cause.The PCB’s policy, announced yesterday restricts their centrally-contracted players to playing only two leagues per season including the Pakistan Super League (PSL). On paper, it means in-demand cricketers such as Shadab Khan and Rumman Raees can only play in one league other than the PSL in a year.”Blanket restrictions on players from playing in T20 leagues, which limit their ability to earn a living as professional cricketers, is not the answer to fundamental issues with the structure of the game,” Tony Irish, FICA’s executive chairman, told ESPNcricinfo. “Structural change is needed. Although one needs to respect a country’s right to manage workload of its contracted players this isn’t achieved by one blanket restriction applying to all players. As we have seen in other countries this type of arbitrary restriction is more likely to result in players electing not to sign national contracts, or to retire from international cricket.”They are then lost to the international game. Once players are out of contract there is no legal basis to restrict them, even under ICC regulation, and such restrictions are likely to constitute unlawful restraints of trade under the laws of most countries.”Pakistan’s players do not have a players’ association so FICA has no jurisdiction in the matter as such. And recent history between the two organisations is not especially cordial. But, as FICA recognised, apart from Pakistan players not having a united voice, they are among the lowest paid international cricketers (as a survey by showed.)The PCB explained that the policy was a result of an especially busy international season of cricket. “If we look at our calendar year until 2019 World Cup we are going to play 28 ODIs, 14 T20s, 8 Tests and for this we need to manage the workload,” Haroon Rasheed, director cricket operations, said in Karachi. “We all thought that in terms of workload we have to limit our players in foreign leagues because you already have limited resources available in ODI and T20 so God forbid if anyone got out injured for a longer period of time then our World Cup campaign would be affected.”Rasheed acknowledged, however, that the policy would be reviewed on a regular basis. “We have an exception or rule as well for those who only play T20 format,” he added. “To deal with special cases not covered under the rules, i.e for exceptions, a four-member committee will decide to issue NOC for players’ participation in any additional league.”Though the exceptions clause suggests a way out of a blanket restriction – it could effectively mean continuing with a policy of NOCs issued on a case-by-case basis – agents who represent Pakistani players have expressed concern. After their Champions Trophy win and a rise to the top of the T20I rankings, a number of Pakistani players were in demand in most leagues other than the IPL last year. But even then, the PCB suddenly revoked NOCs of 13 Pakistan players participating in the CPL and the English domestic circuit, to participate in the National T20 Cup. That was slotted to take place in August but eventually did not go ahead then, leaving all stakeholders frustrated.”Pakistan players are prominent in T20 leagues around the world and this limit is going to hurt both players and PCB,” one player agent told ESPNcricinfo. “Other countries all have the option of the IPL. I can understand there’s a lot of cricket happening these days and players have a human limit. But a blanket approach of limiting 35 guys is harsh. If there’s no national duty and it’s possible to play three leagues, why would we limit it? Unless our first-class competes with world level, which is not the case.”

Rahane misses ton but Mumbai dominate, while Tamil Nadu could get lucky

Shashank Kishore31-Jan-2025Kohli’s short stay
It lasted all of 15 deliveries in which he made six. Virat Kohli was beaten twice outside off, once to a full delivery that left him late and then a length ball that he jabbed and missed.He brought out a delightful straight drive in the next over, but was out off the very next delivery when Himanshu Sangwan, a Railways ticket collector at New Delhi Railway Station during the off-season, sent his off stump cartwheeling. Soon, Sangwan became a reel sensation for a superb nip-backer that sneaked through Kohli’s big gap between bat and pad.A strong crowd of around 15,000 who made a beeline for the exit, missed a quality knock from Ayush Badoni. The captain’s 77-ball 99 helped Delhi open up a 93-run lead against Railways, with three first-innings wickets remaining.Pujara 99, Saurashtra on course
The stars have aligned perfectly for Saurashtra. They needed two outright with bonus points, both games were at home in Rajkot on turners; they beat Delhi last week inside three days with Ravindra Jadeja taking 12 wickets.Related

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This week, they didn’t need Ravindra’s bowling because the other Jadeja (Dharmendrasinh), was among the wickets (four of them) as Assam were made to follow-on. That Saurashtra were in a position to enforce the follow-on was because of a solid batting performance in the first innings.Their 474 was set up by Cheteshwar Pujara, who was out for 99 early on day two having added four to his overnight score. Assam’s only source of resistance was Riyan Parag, who top-scored with 51 on his return to top-flight cricket from a shoulder injury.Kuldeep made to toil
Returning to competitive cricket after three months following a surgery for sports hernia, Kuldeep Yadav sent down 31 overs to pick up three wickets, but Uttar Pradesh were sent on a leather hunt. Double tons from Harsh Gawli and Shubham Sharma helped Madhya Pradesh post an imposting 670 for 7 declared. From a qualification standpoint, this game doesn’t hold much significance since with both teams are out of the knockouts race.Rahane 96 in mammoth Mumbai total
Ajinkya Rahane’s quest to convert his maiden first-class fifty this Ranji season into a century met disappointment as he was out for 96 against Meghalaya, but Mumbai opened up a 585-run lead.Meghalaya were 27 for 2 at stumps, giving Mumbai a sight of seven full points that will take them to 29 points and help them seal a quarter-final berth. Coming into the final round, they needed a favour from Jammu & Kashmir, and they’ve helped them along the way by pocketing not just a first-innings lead against Baroda but also opening up the possibility of an outright win.Jalaj continues to shine
Earlier this season, Jalaj Saxena – the Kerala allrounder – completed the double of 6000 first-class runs and 400 wickets. In the final round of matches, he picked up a five-for in each innings, both on Friday, as Kerala trounced Bihar by an innings to secure a quarter-final berth.Jalaj took his wickets tally in the tournament to 421, the seventh-best. This was the 10th time he picked up 10 wickets or more in a first-class game. Bihar lasted a combined 64.2 overs across both innings in which they made make 64 and 118 in response to Kerala’s 351 fuelled by Salman Nizar’s 150.TN stutter but knockouts chances burn bright
They need 97 and have only five wickets in hand against Jharkhand, but a scenario has emerged wherein Tamil Nadu can qualify for the knockouts despite a defeat. That’s because Chandigarh – who won three successive games outright in the first half – have now conceded the first-innings lead to Chhattisgarh in a game they needed to win with a bonus point. Tamil Nadu’s hopes of pulling off the chase are pinned on Vijay Shankar, who is unbeaten on 33.

The ICC is expected to make a decision this week on where the tournament is hosted

Andrew McGlashan19-Aug-20241:23

Healy: ‘I just want to create a really connected group’

Australia captain Alyssa Healy has said it feels like the “wrong thing” to host the upcoming T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as the country continues to deal with the consequences of the recent violence which led to hundreds of deaths and the ousting of the government.The ICC is expected to make a decision this week on where the tournament will be hosted with UAE considered the favourite after BCCI declined a request. Sri Lanka is another option while Zimbabwe has emerged as a potential late solution.The Australian government is among those including the UK and India to have issued warnings about traveling to Bangladesh.Related

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“I find it really hard to see a cricket event going on over there at the moment and taking resources away from a country that is really struggling,” Healy said. “They’re needing everyone they can possibly get in there helping people that are dying.””I’d find it hard to fathom playing there at the moment, as a human being, I feel like it might be the wrong thing to do. But I’ll leave it to the ICC to work out.”Speaking on Sunday, allrounder Sophie Molineux said players had been kept in the loop.”We’ve been [in] chats with Cricket Australia and they’re doing a lot of work with the ICC, and we’ve got full faith that they’ll come up with the right decision for everyone.”Australia will name their World Cup squad next Monday and Healy was confident they would be able to adapt to whichever country ended up hosting. They had seen their tour of Bangladesh earlier this year where they played three ODIs and three T20Is as a key fact-finding mission.”I feel like we’re so well balanced in the…players that we get to choose from, wherever the World Cup gets put, I think we’re going to have the right squad to take it on,” Healy said. “We’re obviously blessed we got to Bangladesh and got a taste of those conditions. But wherever we get put, we’ll be ready to adapt.”Meanwhile, England captain Heather Knight said that if the replacement venue was UAE then she does not expect vastly different conditions to those in Bangladesh.It is expected Australia will name a settled squad. Fast bowler Darcie Brown is set to be available after spending the winter recovering from a stress fracture of her foot which kept her out of the Bangladesh tour. Molineux (rib) and Grace Harris (calf strain) were also recently ruled out of the Hundred through injury, but neither are considered a major doubt for the World Cup.Jess Jonassen was the significant omission from the previous squad for Bangladesh and she is likely to find it hard to squeeze back in for the World Cup barring injuries with Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner the spin options. The World Cup squad will also play the three T20Is against New Zealand in September which act as preparation for the tournament.

The 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season will be his last tournament as a cricketer – both for international and domestic cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2024Wriddhiman Saha, the India wicketkeeper, is set to bring the curtains down on a 17-year career at the end of the ongoing 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season. Saha, a veteran of 40 Tests, made the revelation through a social media post.Saha is currently preparing for Bengal’s fourth-round fixture against Karnataka in Bengaluru, having returned to the team after spending two years as a player-mentor with Tripura. He had returned to Bengal following a meeting with Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain.