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The former Australia batsman has been part of the IPL as player and coach for several franchises, and brings an insider’s view to how teams operate

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2019As the IPL grows older and gets more competitive, its owners are becoming more demanding and “cut-throat”, in the words of tournament veteran and two-time coach Brad Hodge. “It’s pretty brutal (for coaches) in this part of the world (IPL). If you don’t make the finals here, you pretty much pack your bags and walk out the door.”Hodge, who coached Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab between 2016 and 2018, was talking to ESPNcricinfo’s Talking T20 podcast, in a wide-ranging chat on life inside an IPL team. An IPL regular since the first season, Hodge played for three different teams, including the Rajasthan Royals side that made the playoffs in 2013.As coach, he took Lions to the playoffs in their inaugural season in 2016. A miserable 2017 season later – the last for the franchise since it had only a two-year term – he moved to Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2018. However, they frittered away a promising start of five wins in their first six games to finish seventh on the points table.Hodge, who has since parted ways with the franchise as has team mentor Virender Sehwag, continues to coach in the Caribbean Premier League with St.Lucia Stars. However, he feels the culture in the IPL is different from most other T20 leagues, considering the scale of the tournament and the stakes involved.”Look, it’s pretty cut-throat here actually… I sort of said to the Kings XI Punjab (owners), ‘How do you define success? What do you actually want to do?’ You haven’t won in ten years, so if I’m not to win next year, how am I defined?” He cited Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, the two most successful sides in IPL history, as examples of a well-defined long-term vision working well.”I sort of said to them (Kings XI owners), ‘How many times do you want to win (the IPL) in a decade?’ And I thought three is realistic. It doesn’t matter whether you win this year, next year or the year after. You could win three in a row in the mid-pack. Just that if you’ve won three in a decade… If you look at CSK, they’ve won three. Mumbai Indians, they’ve won three. They’ve got a successful ten years.”Super Kings, along with Sunrisers Hyderabad, have two of IPL’s longest serving coaches in Stephen Fleming (2009-2015, 2018 onwards) and Tom Moody (2013 onwards), while Rajasthan Royals’ Paddy Upton and Kolkata Knight Riders’ Jacques Kallis are the only other current head coaches who have been around for more than three seasons with the same franchise.

The match spilling into a second day made the New Zealander lose sleep, but he remained confident about the total they got given the conditions on offer

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2019For the longest time – the first day if you like – it did look like New Zealand had fallen behind and India had the edge in their World Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. It turned out that the 239 for 8 they got was 18 runs too many for India, a target that Ross Taylor said his team were quietly confident about. “We thought 240 was a target that we wanted to get to, and be very competitive,” he said.It was a tricky pitch to bat on right through the 99.3 overs of action, with only Ravindra Jadeja getting the better of the conditions in his 59-ball 77.”We fell a little bit short (of 240) and we knew we needed early wickets and the way the two opening bowlers set the tone, 240 looked a long way away,” Taylor told newspersons after New Zealand had made the World Cup final for the second edition in a row. “We all knew in ourselves that we deserved to be here and we wanted to … not to prove anyone wrong, but to prove it to ourselves that we were good enough.”We were quietly confident, I think. When our backs are against the ball, quite often we have played our best. We talked about that, we have nothing to lose, just go out there and sum up the situation. We have obviously got quite a few level heads, from playing the semi-final and winning at home [in 2015]. We trusted ourselves, we trusted ourselves yesterday – strange to play over two days – but we got the right result.”With rain pushing the semi-final into the reserve day, a lot of focus was on Taylor, who came into the match on the back of middling form in the tournament. He looked scratchy during his innings in the semi-final too, but he hung in, and was on 67 not out when play was called off on Tuesday. He carried on to 74 and New Zealand got from 211 for 5 to 239 for 8.”I woke up at 3 o’clock this morning, wondering how I was going to bat these last 23 balls. I texted my wife at about five saying I still can’t go to bed. She said, ‘Oh dear.’ So I just turned my phone off because there were a lot of messages from back home. So in terms of my sleep, I had terrible sleep,” Taylor said with a laugh. “But my main focus, everyone kept saying, ‘come on, get to 250’, my mind set was to get to 240, as Kane and I discussed yesterday. I get to go to sleep now, though.”Once New Zealand had got their competitive total, the bowlers took over. In 3.1 overs, India were 5 for 3, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul all back in the hut. Man of the match Matt Henry picked up two of the wickets and Trent Boult accounted for Kohli, with the umpire’s lbw decision upheld despite an India review.”Starting up with the ball, we just wanted to put as much pressure on the opposition as we can. And yeah, to nudge him [Kohli] in the pads and see the finger go up, yeah, it was pretty exciting,” Boult said. “But obviously you’re always nervous if the decision goes upstairs. So it was good to see the bails just falling off. It was good fun.”I don’t want to say I am a magician against the best player in the world, but yeah, it was nice to see everything line up and I think we saw them at 3 for 6 [5] at one stage. So yeah, we bowled extremely well, it was good pressure from both ends, and it was nice to come out on the right side.”Virat Kohli reviews after being given out lbw to Trent Boult•Getty Images

From 5 for 3, India got to 24 for 4 and then 71 for 5 and 92 for 6 before MS Dhoni and Jadeja added 116 for the seventh wicket, Jadeja, especially, taking the fight to the opposition – he hit four of the six sixes hit in the entire match.”We know for a fact that if we can get sides three down inside the first ten, and put pressure on the middle order, it’s going to be challenging for anyone,” Boult said. “It was about keeping it simple and nice to put a bit of pressure on those guys. I thought they absorbed it very nicely to get into a position to need 25 [31] off a couple of overs. The end was … it was a great game, great fun, we’re in another final, and we can’t wait.”The moment that turned a fast-swinging game decisively in New Zealand’s favour was Martin Guptill’s direct hit to run Dhoni out in the 49th over. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the other end, Dhoni wanted to keep the strike and took on Guptill, who threw down the stumps from around the 30-yard circle after running in from the deep. The wicketkeeper had chased after the ball, so it had to be a direct hit, and it was. It was a spot of redemption for Guptill, who has had a horror run with the bat at the World Cup. After hitting 73 not out against Sri Lanka in New Zealand’s first game, he has totalled just 94 runs in eight innings.”He is down on confidence, we talked about it after he missed out yesterday, and this morning, he was going to go out there do something brilliant,” Taylor said. “Jimmy Neesham’s catch [to send back Dinesh Karthik off Henry] was fantastic, and Dhoni has won from that situation many times. Once we did break that partnership – Jadeja and Dhoni – we weren’t still out of the woods yet, but once we got Dhoni… Brilliant run out, no keeper, if the keeper had been there, he [Dhoni] would have been safe by the time he took the bails off.”But to have the confidence to do that, in a semi-final… hopefully that’s a bit of luck that he takes from his fielding to his batting and maybe he can have a bit of luck and make the most of it.”Cricket’s about small margins. When we came in to the huddle, the boys were joking that Gup always misses the stumps. When there’s a run out on, he always missed the stumps,” Taylor smiled. “All those misses over the years, he only hits when there’s nothing to worry about, but he did it now, and we celebrated accordingly and we’re very happy for him.”

‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle promises to put on a show as ODI career draws to a close

George Dobell17-Feb-20194:56

I will retire after the World Cup – Gayle

However Chris Gayle fares in the ODI series against England – and the World Cup that follows – it is unlikely to be a lack of confidence that holds him back.”You’re looking at a great man,” he said when asked whether he was satisfied with his career. “I’m the greatest player in the world. Of course I’m still the Universe Boss. That will never change. I’ll take that to the grave.”But it is a career that, at ODI level at least, is about to end. The next couple of weeks will see him play his final ODIs in the Caribbean, with retirement to come when West Indies’ World Cup campaign ends. Aged 39 and on the brink of becoming the 14th man – and second from the Caribbean – to score 10,000 ODI runs (he requires 273 more), he has decided to call it a day. It will, presuming he is selected, be his fifth World Cup.”Yes, I’m looking to draw the line after the World Cup,” he said. “Or should I say cut the string? Definitely, in 50-over cricket, the World Cup is the end for me. I’ll let the youngsters have some fun and I can sit back in the party stand and watch them have some fun.”Winning the World Cup would be a fairy-tale finish. The youngsters owe it to me to win. They have to do that for me and try and get me the
trophy. I’ll be looking to put my input in as well.”But Gayle hopes it is not the end of his career. Quite apart from his various T20 commitments in domestic leagues, he has not ruled out appearing in the World T20 in Australia in late 2020 – though he will be 41 by then – and hopes to appear in the ECB’s inaugural season of
The 100 ahead of it.”If I don’t start it, it won’t be a tournament,” he says. “I guess England should invite me over. Then I’ll explode the tournament and say ‘thank you guys; bring in a youngster now.’ I’ll set the trend like I did in all tournaments around the world.”I’m in good condition. The body is feeling good and I’m pleased with that. I’ve lost a bit of weight and I don’t want to get too big. I’m still working on my six pack. I’m trying to keep up with the youngsters in the field who are like cats the way they chase the ball. I still have it in me and I’m still enjoying it.”While Gayle may be remembered as one of the first players to embrace the world of T20 leagues, he is, he says, as enthusiastic about international cricket – and Test cricket, in particular – as ever. Watching West Indies defeat England in the recent Test series was, he
said, “one of the greatest things to happen in 10 years.””It was a great Test series,” he said. “It was fantastic to watch from the sidelines and I think it was one of the greatest things to happen in ten years.”I was the captain for the last home series win against England and to see Jason Holder lifting that trophy ten years later was fantastic, so hopefully as a unit we can get the better of England again in the ODI series.”Yes, I’m positive about the future of Test cricket. It’s always been the ultimate. I know the youngsters coming up are all looking at T20 cricket, but I would urge them to try to play Test cricket. It will give them a chance to challenge themselves. Definitely they should try.”Chris Gayle carts one through the off side•AFP

Even though he declared himself unavailable for West Indies’ tours of India and Bangladesh in recent months, he has now described representing West Indies as “the most important thing.” And, while he is excited by the pace in the West Indies attack, he does warn his own bowlers that he will “destroy them” if they take him on in the nets.”Being back in West Indies colours is the most important thing,” he said. “I’m actually looking to go forward with the Windies. I’ll be bringing some experience to play and sharing that with the youngsters and I hope to enjoy the next couple of months with the West Indies cricket team.”I’m always looking to put on a show. England fans love to see the universe boss exploding and entertaining you guys as much as possible here in the Caribbean and in the UK as well. I’ve set the trend for a long time, so hopefully I can continue in that same vein and play the
game in the true spirit it should be played in.”This series against England might be the last time people get to see the Universe Boss on local soil. The last game I played in Barbados for Jamaica I got a hundred and it would be nice to continue where I left off and entertain the home fans as much as possible. At the end of the day everybody should be happy and enjoy the game.”I don’t know who is opening the bowling for England, but any bowler is going to beware of Chris Gayle. That doesn’t change because he is 39 now, they are going to be saying ‘yes, he’s got some grey hairs in his beard, let’s get him now, this is the perfect time to get the universe boss now he is 39.'”Oshane Thomas bowls a heavy ball. He’s got a bright future; he’s very explosive with the ball. Him and Shannon Gabriel: they’re youngsters, man. But I will destroy them anyway.”So, what does the future hold for him: media work, perhaps?”Definitely not me,” he says. “I’m not a talker. Maybe I’ll make an appearance here and there, but I’m not into the talking thing. I’m not really into the coaching thing either. I’ll figure it out. You’ll see me around.”But not, for much longer, on the pitch. Spectators in the Caribbean, Ireland and England and Wales should catch him while they can.

India’s chief selector MSK Prasad had earlier stated that Dhoni would appear for Jharkhand in the quarter-finals, much like Rohit Sharma for Mumbai

Saurabh Somani13-Oct-2018MS Dhoni will not take part in Jharkhand’s knockout matches for the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19.Jharkhand will play their quarter-final against Maharashtra at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, and Dhoni wasn’t present at the first nets the team had, at the adjoining NCA ground, on Saturday. Team members that ESPNcricinfo spoke to on Saturday said they weren’t expecting Dhoni to join the squad.Jharkhand coach Rajiv Kumar said that he had not received any official word about Dhoni joining, but in his opinion, Dhoni wouldn’t have wanted to disturb the team’s combination, especially since he would have been able to play only one match.”He has to go to Hyderabad on October 16 to report for the ODI series,” Kumar said. “Maybe he will come for a day, I don’t know yet what his plan is, but so far, he is not coming. But it may be possible. You know he takes his own decisions. He is saying the boys are doing well, so there is no point coming for just one game and taking somebody’s place.”Jharkhand topped Group C with 32 points from nine matches, to qualify.The semi-finals are scheduled for October 17 and 18, meaning Dhoni would not have been able to take part even if Jharkhand win their match against Maharashtra.It is understood that Dhoni linking up with the Jharkhand team in Chennai was spoken of before he left for the Asia Cup. The Asia Cup concluded on September 28, with India beating Bangladesh in the final. Jharkhand had four league games remaining in Group C after that, with the first one on October 1. They won three of the games, with one abandoned without a ball bowled. Dhoni, however, eventually didn’t join the team.At the press conference after the Indian ODI side had been announced, chief selector MSK Prasad had said that Dhoni would be playing in the Vijay Hazare quarter-final.Dhoni’s decision is rendered more curious given his recent struggles in limited-overs cricket, and questions beginning to be asked about whether he is the right man to be the first-choice wicketkeeper in the 2019 World Cup. In the Asia Cup, he batted four times, scoring 77 runs with an average of 19.25 and a strike rate of 62.09. Overall in 2018, he has batted 10 times in 15 matches, for an average of 28.12 and a strike rate of 67.36. Dhoni’s last first-class match was in the Irani Trophy over a decade ago, while his last List-A game for Jharkhand was in the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final against Bengal.However, while Dhoni has decided to stay away, Rohit Sharma will be part of the Mumbai XI that takes on Bihar in the first quarter-final on Sunday. Rohit, who also didn’t join the Mumbai squad during the league stages, has flown down to be part of the first knockout match. A Mumbai team spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that if the Indian ODI team had asked players to report by October 16, Rohit would also miss any subsequent knockout matches.

Also said that selectors have told him to go beyond just scoring half-centuries in ODIs

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-May-2021Fearlessness. If there’s one change Sri Lanka’s new ODI captain Kusal Perera would like to usher in, it is for his team to play as he says he does: completely unafraid.Perera has been appointed leader of a young squad, which is without several big names, including Angelo Mathews, and now has the opportunity to turn around Sri Lanka’s poor form in the format – the side having slipped to ninth on the ICC rankings. Perera has long been one of the most aggressive batsmen in Sri Lanka’s ranks, and early indications are that he would like the team to embrace that ethos.”We have to play fearless cricket to win matches,” he said, a day after his appointment as captain was made official. “You can’t be fearful about losing. If you’re worried about your place, you aren’t going to give 100%. What I’m going to tell the players is to go and give it everything. If we play fearlessly even when we are practicing, then you will be able to play the same way in a match. That’s what I’ve told the team. If we are fearful, we will fall even further. I’m trying to build a culture where the players have a lot of confidence.”Perera’s own most notable innings have been aggressive ones. In Tests, his 153 not out off 200 in Durban is now counted among the format’s greatest knocks. In ODIs, he has hit the second-equal fastest half-century – off 17 balls, against Pakistan, in 2015.”I really like to play fearless cricket personally, and that’s where my success has been. Whenever I’ve played with fear, it hasn’t worked for me. I want everyone else to play like that. You can’t guarantee that you will go right playing this way, but the chances of things going well are greater.””But you have to practice well to instill that fearlessness. Because if you are 100% certain about the shot you’re playing, you can play without fear. You need to understand your strengths and weaknesses. Where does the ball need to be for me to hit it? Will I get myself in trouble by hitting there? You need to have that understanding. If you’re a bowler, you need to know which ball can get you a wicket, and which will help you bowl a dot. These things help you play fearlessly. As a fielding unit, you have to carry that same ethos as well, and I have big hopes for the upcoming Bangladesh series about our fielding.”Although Perera has sparkled briefly, however, his overall record as a batsman is modest. After 96 ODI innings, he averages 31.04, with a strike rate of 92.04. The responsibility of leadership, he hoped, would bring bigger personal scores as well.”What the selectors told me when they appointed me was that I often get a 50 or a 60 and get out without getting to a 100. I accept that. If I score a hundred, the chances of winning the match go up. You can’t get a 100 every game, but when you get a start, you need to make sure you convert. They expect me to take that responsibility.”

Sussex pulled off a confident win at the Ageas Bowl to extend their unbeaten record at the top of South Group

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2018
ScorecardLuke Wright scored his second fifty in a week to keep up Sussex’s 100 per cent win record in the Vitality Blast as they thrashed Hampshire by eight wickets.Opener Wright never looked in any trouble, and refused to give his opponents a sniff, as he struck 68 off 53 balls as he put on 96 with Laurie Evans, who also scored a brilliant half century.Having already beaten Essex and Glamorgan in the opening two rounds, Sussex looked confident chasing 158.Phil Salt and Wright attacked the task with a mixture of quick running and timely boundaries.

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Salt was deceived by a brilliantly disguised slower ball from Gareth Berg but the let up didn’t come for the home bowlers, with 53 scored off the powerplay.Wright, on the back of an 88 against Glamorgan, arrowed a pair of impeccable cover drives off Kyle Abbott, although was involved in a controversial moment when Mujeeb Ur Raham thought he had bowled him but after a long delay was given a reprieve.The former England international reached his 35th format fifty off 40-balls, before he found Chris Wood on the long-on boundary.Evans, who collected a classy 55 not out, guided Sussex home with 10 balls to spare to leave Hampshire winless from their opening two Vitality Blast fixtures.Earlier, Hampshire were stuck in by Sussex skipper Wright on a wicket that never really came onto the batsmen.James Vince promoted himself back up to open, alongside Colin Munro, and took the attack to the Sussex bowlers – drilling Jofra Archer and David Wiese for three clean fours in each of their opening two overs.The Hampshire captain played one shot too many in his 16-ball 30, when his aggressive drive swirled high to cover.Munro attempted to keep the high run-rate going as he slapped a straight drive for six, to take the hosts to 59 for one at the end of the powerplay.But the runs and boundaries dried up, with 15 balls without the ball reaching the ropes, as Sam Northeast joined Munro.The former Kent batsman grew in confidence by taking Wiese for three successive fours but like Vince overhit one extra ball – as he found Archer at long off off Danny Briggs’ bowling.Rilee Rossouw smashed a six down the ground but was caught on the midwicket boundary attempting a slog sweep next ball.Briggs then claimed his third scalp, Munro caught at long off for a scrappy 30, as he ended with figures of three for 29, spoiled somewhat by a six and four from his final over.The backend of the Hampshire innings proved a battle against an experienced and wily Sussex attack with only 38 coming from the last five overs – despite Tom Alsop’s battling unbeaten 35.The main menace was Archer, who ended with figures of three for 26, with a yorker bowling Berg and a square leg catch getting rid of Lewis McManus.

Batsman rescues floundering and hits 17 off the final over as St Kitts & Nevis Patriots clinch last-over thriller

The Report by Peter Della Penna05-Sep-2018Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

A sparkling half-century by Fabian Allen, in his maiden CPL innings, salvaged a floundering St Kitts and Nevis Patriots chase and took them to victory by two wickets over Barbados Tridents at Warner Park on Tuesday night. Allen made an unbeaten 64 off 34 balls to rescue the Patriots from 92 for 6, including 17 runs off the final over, to pull his team through with two balls to spare.The win puts Patriots temporarily in first place, though their regular season is now finished. Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors are one point behind, but both have three league fixtures remaining, two of which are against each other.Shamsi leaves his imprintPatriots’ overseas batsman Tom Cooper had a miserable time at CPL 2018. His six innings yielded just 45, and the team management ran out of patience. When he had to head home for the start of Australia’s domestic season, the franchise sought a replacement and picked South Africa left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who was actually filling the void left by Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. In his first outing, Shamsi, who is coming off back spasms, suffered during the tour of India with the South Africa A team, left his imprint.Coming on at the end of the Powerplay, Shamsi struck with just his second ball, trapping Dwayne Smith lbw to end a 45-run opening stand. Smith’s opening partner Sunny Sohal fell leg before as well in the next over to Mahmudullah’s offspin, pinned on the back foot after shuffling across his crease too far to flick. A poor call for a run to backward point resulted Hashim Amla’s run out to make it 66 for 3 at the halfway mark. When Shai Hope was out slogging to mid-off, Shamsi, who did him in with flight, reinforced the advantage.Shamsi didn’t concede a single boundary in his spell of 4-0-16-2. He could have had a third wicket when he beat Roston Chase sweeping, just as he had Smith earlier in the night. Umpire Nigel Duguid denied a strong lbw shout, though the ball had pitched in line with leg stump and would have gone on to hit it. On 5 then, Chase proceeded to make the most of the let-off, carving an unbeaten 38 off 28, including partnerships of 48 with Nicholas Pooran, and an unbroken 53 with Jason Holder to take the Tridents to a competitive total.Mo wickets at the topMohammad Irfan continued to cement his status as the standout bowler of the last two weeks of CPL 2018 with another brilliant opening spell. The tall fast bowler from Pakistan struck thrice in the Powerplay to rein in a hot Patriots start in pursuit of 168.Evin Lewis was beaten for pace in the fourth, offering a simple catch to midwicket while attempting a pull. Irfan struck again two balls later, when he got one to keep a touch low and bowled Rassie van der Dussen. Chris Gayle fell in near identical circumstances to Lewis, in the final ball of the Powerplay by sending a catch to mid-on that reducing Patriots to 52 for 3. Three more wickets had fallen by the 12th over, and Patriots were in disarray, still 77 runs adrift of the target, before Allen saved the day.Fab finishAllen’s biggest claim to fame in the CPL prior to Tuesday night was a one-handed diving catch at the point boundary in Florida last year, one that earned him the top spot on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top 10 Plays.Allen had not batted in his two other CPL outings previously, but had proven earlier in the summer that he was no slouch, striking an unbeaten 75 for West Indies B against Edmonton Royals in the Global T20 Canada. He rescued the Patriots on this occasion with the bat in stunning fashion. With 49 needed off the last five overs, Allen scored the bulk of the 23 runs Patriots made across the next two overs to bring the equation down to a very manageable 26 off 18.But Ben Cutting’s silly swipe to be bowled by Holder off the second ball of the 18th turned things around. The result was Allen being starved of the strike over the rest of the 18th and 19th, as he didn’t face another ball until the start of the final over. But Holder may have possibly miscalculated his bowling options, leaving 20-year-old debutant Dominic Drakes to bowl the final six.Allen pounced on two full deliveries, driving a pair of straight sixes to start the over, then pulled a flat four just short of the midwicket rope to level the scores, before a scampered leg bye secured victory.

“What this season has done is give us real momentum into the future and we see incredible untapped upside in the WBBL”

Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-2022More home matches and playing at bigger stadiums are on the cards for the WBBL, as the rapidly expanding women’s game puts pressure on the tournament to retain its standing as the premier event.The latest edition of the WBBL came to a conclusion in front of a crowd of 6478 at North Sydney Oval on Saturday as Adelaide Strikers claimed their first title by overcoming favourites Sydney Sixers who had secured a record 11 wins in the regular season.After two seasons of Covid-19 disruptions, which included the Melbourne teams not playing at their home grounds for two years and the two Sydney sides being locked out last season, the tournament returned to all the states in this edition.However, it was competing in a congested sporting calendar across October and November which included the men’s T20 World Cup, albeit a clash that won’t be repeated for some time, and also the AFL Women’s league, which had its grand final the day after the WBBL.Related

• Smriti Mandhana: 'I'll be thinking about pulling out of WBBL'

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There is confidence that the tournament held up well alongside the various competitions and it continues to rate well on television, but the head of the Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson believes now that Covid has been navigated it’s time to be “bold and ambitious.”That could mean a reduction of the festival weekends of fixtures which have seen teams play neutral games, and also the use of iconic stadiums such as the SCG and MCG for marquee matches such as local derbies and the finals. Last year’s Eliminator and Challenger were held at Adelaide Oval and the final at Perth Stadium, but such venues have not been used since the competition went standalone in 2019.”The WBBL is definitely suited to the grounds we’ve played in, such as North Sydney Oval and Citipower [Junction Oval] in Melbourne, but equally the scale of the WBBL means that we need to be bold and ambitious enough to look at playing the bigger games in bigger stadiums,” Dobson told ESPNcricinfo. “While it wouldn’t be on a regular basis I’d love for us to be bold enough for us to start playing some of those games in bigger stadiums because that’s where it deserves to be.”It’s also about the schedule and how we make sure we bring matches to each team’s home market on a regular basis. This year, for example, we didn’t have too many games in Melbourne until quite late, equally in Sydney, and that showed that once you start bringing matches into those markets the interest takes off.”There are also the wider developments taking place in the women’s game with more leagues and more international cricket on the calendar. This season’s WBBL saw a handful leading players, including India’s Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, withdraw and next year there will likely be a Women’s PSL and Women’s IPL added to the schedule.Already some players, including the recently retired Rachael Haynes, have started to warn that the WBBL can’t be complacent as the leading names start to weigh up which competitions to put their name forward into.”Our primary objective is making sure the WBBL remains the best league in the world,” Dobson said. “It’s fantastic that players have such opportunity around the world, but that does mean there’s a lot of cricket happening and it does require us to be mindful of that. Whether that’s the workload on our internationals or Australian players that now play more cricket than ever before.”At the same there are so many amazing local players who underpin the strength of the WBBL so it’s a balance of all those factors. We are absolutely mindful of what the players are telling us, they are at the heart of the strength of the WBBL. Ultimately the WBBL’s goal is to be a visible pathway for women and girls in cricket so we need to make sure are delivering on that as well.”The Women’s Hundred in the UK recently introduced a draft as part of their process for building squads for the 2023 season. The BBL had its first overseas player draft earlier this year and while Dobson did not commit to whether there was scope for it in the WBBL he said all aspects of the competition are constantly put under the microscope.”It’s always a point of review and with a new MoU on the horizon there’s certainly an opportunity to explore different models and looking at other competitions around the world [which] is always a helpful point of comparison,” he said. “What [this season] has done is give us real momentum into the future and we just see incredible untapped upside in the WBBL.”

He will replace Kane Williamson, who was released by the franchise after the last season

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Feb-2023Aiden Markram has been named the Sunrisers Hyderabad captain for IPL 2023.Markram, 28, recently led Sunrisers Eastern Cape to the inaugural SA20 title, where he also finished as the tournament’s third leading run-maker.Related

• IPL 2023 to be played from March 31 to May 28

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Sunrisers had to fill the leadership role after releasing Kane Williamson ahead of the IPL auction last December. The first player retained by the franchises ahead of the mega auction in 2022, Williamson struggled for form as Sunrisers failed to make the playoffs last season finishing eighth. Williamson missed the final league match last season to return to New Zealand for the birth of his child following which Bhuvneshwar Kumar took over the reins.It is understood that Bhuvneshwar, who has been with the franchise since its inception in 2013, along with Mayank Agarwal (bought in the December auction) and Markram were among the contenders for the leadership position. Markram was chosen for the role by the Sunrisers team management, which is led by Brian Lara, who was appointed as head coach ahead of the auction.In SA20, Markram proved he could excel both as a captain and a batter while leading Eastern Cape. Alongside making 369 runs at a strike rate of 127 including a century, Markram also bagged 11 wickets at an economy of 6.19 with his part-time offspin – enough to earn 596.6 points and top the Total Impact charts calculated as per ESPNcricnfo’s Smart Stats tool.Sunrisers paid INR 2.6 crore to buy Markram at the 2022 auction. In that season, Markram scored 381 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 139.05 and an average of 47.62.

The seam-bowling allrounder played 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for UAE, featuring in the 2014 World T20 and the 2015 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2018Amjad Javed, the former UAE captain, has retired from international cricket. The 38-year-old seam-bowling allrounder hasn’t found a place in the UAE line-up since December 2017, when he played against Nepal in the ICC WCL Championship.”It is never easy when you have to call it a day,” Amjad told . “You have to decide at what time you need to retire. At the moment, the team is doing better than two years back. I can’t find a place in the team. Nothing motivates me to push myself and fight for that position.”Amjad played 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for UAE, featuring in the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. His all-round efforts against Ireland – 42 and 3 for 60 – nearly gained UAE their only victory of the latter tournament, but he chose a performance in the World Cup qualifier the previous year as his personal favourite. In that match, in Christchurch, he smashed 63 off 31 balls and followed it up with 2 for 29 from his 10 overs to consign Kenya to a 13-run defeat.”The main highlight of my career was the 2014 World Cup qualifier [Super Six match] we played against Kenya in New Zealand where I was the man of the match,” Amjad said. “We qualified for the World Cup and achieved ODI status. Everything started rolling after that.”