Notts toil after opting to bowl before late fightback gives them foothold

ECB Reporters Network12-Jun-2022Leicestershire (Ackermann 116, Hill 104, Patterson-White 3-37) vs NottinghamshireCenturies by Lewis Hill and Colin Ackermann enabled winless Leicestershire to enjoy their most productive opening day of the season so far as they returned to LV= County Championship action at the Uptonsteel County Ground.Despite being asked to bat first on a well-grassed pitch, the Foxes closed on 340 for 8 against Division Two promotion favourites Nottinghamshire, who came into the match-up with their East Midlands neighbours looking for a fifth win of the campaign.Hill – only the second Leicestershire batter to reach three figures this summer – made 104, sharing a stand of 141 for the third wicket with Ackermann, who became the third as his 116 guided his side to their highest total of the campaign. It is only the second time the Foxes have picked up three batting bonus points.Nottinghamshire claimed four wickets in the final session, but it was not the day they would have anticipated when skipper Steven Mullaney won the toss and opted to give his bowlers first use of a surface that had good pace and carry and gave the ball a chance for much of the day.Related

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James Pattinson, back on the ground where he took a match-winning 5 for 29 on his Nottinghamshire debut in 2017, was celebrating after only his fourth delivery as Hassan Azad edged to third slip.Pattinson, who went close several more times, should have had a second, Rishi Patel surviving on 15 when wicketkeeper Tom Moores palmed away what was probably a chance for first slip. Patel was caught at first slip as Dane Paterson struck in his second over at first change but Hill and Ackermann wasted few opportunities as Nottinghamshire bowlers stuck to their attacking tactics, putting on 66 in almost 15 overs at the break to be 129 for 2.The afternoon followed a similar pattern, at least until the captain, Mullaney, decided deep into the session that his frontline bowlers were beginning to toil and allowed himself a bowl. That brought a breakthrough as Hill’s fine innings ended after 15 fours, most of them cut or driven through the off side.Lewis Hill latches on to cut•Getty Images

Mullaney, who had bowled only a couple of overs of his wobbly medium pace before lunch, took over from James at the Pavilion End, his fifth ball did just enough to pass the outside edge and clip Hill’s off stump. Tea arrived at 233 for 4 after Wiaan Mulder had thin-edged Pattinson to be caught behind.Louis Kimber, thankfully unscathed after taking a blow on the helmet facing Pattinson just before the break, played nicely for 33 as he and Ackermann added 69 for the fifth wicket, Ackermann gathering nine boundaries before turning a leg-side delivery from Lyndon James into a couple of runs to complete his hundred, a first for the former skipper in more than a year.Liam Patterson-White, the left-arm spinner, found some turn to bowl Kimber and Harry Swindells was quickly seen off by a swinging delivery from Brett Hutton after Nottinghamshire took the second new ball.Ackermann departed in the third last over of the day, a tentative prod ending in the hands of slip as Patterson-White tried his luck at the Bennett End for the first time, the spinner adding another by the same route as Callum Parkinson fell to the last ball of the day.

Morgan’s deputy endorsed as full-time successor following formidable form in recent months

Matt Roller30-Jun-2022Jos Buttler has been appointed captain of England’s men’s white-ball teams after Eoin Morgan’s retirement from international cricket earlier this week.Buttler, 31, regularly deputised as captain during Morgan’s seven-and-a-half-year tenure and has captained England in nine ODIs and five T20Is to date, most recently in the third ODI against the Netherlands in Amstelveen last week.His first assignment as captain will be the T20I series against India which starts on July 7 at the Ageas Bowl, for which England are due to name their squad on Friday lunchtime. That fixture marks the start of a packed schedule of 12 limited-overs internationals in 25 days, with three T20Is and three ODIs against both India and South Africa before the end of July.Working with new white-ball coach Matthew Mott, Buttler’s primary focus will be on the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year but England’s defence of their 50-over title is not far away: the next ODI World Cup is scheduled for October-November 2023 in India, with another T20 World Cup to follow in the Caribbean and the USA in 2024.Buttler was recommended for the role by Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, and his appointment was ratified on Wednesday evening by the ECB’s interim chair, Martin Darlow, and chief executive, Clare Connor.”Jos Buttler was the perfect choice to succeed Eoin Morgan as our white-ball captain, and I had no hesitation in offering him the role,” Key said. “Jos has been part of our white-ball set-up for over a decade and was integral in the transformation of the way the team has played its attacking brand of cricket over the past seven years.”He is well-respected in the dressing room by all of his teammates and will relish leading his country. He is in the form of his life and is showcasing his talent against the best players and teams in the world.”I believe the extra responsibility will take his game to a new level and inspire those around him. I’m looking forward to seeing him take us forward. He thoroughly deserves the opportunity.”Related

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Buttler said it was a “great honour” to take over the captaincy from Morgan, offering him his “sincere thanks and gratitude” for his leadership. “It has been the most memorable period for everyone involved,” Buttler said. “He has been an inspirational leader, and it has been fantastic to play under him. There are lots of things that I have learnt from him that I’ll take into this role.”There is excellent strength in depth in the white-ball squads, and I’m looking forward to leading the teams out for the series that are coming up against India starting next week and later in July against South Africa. It is the greatest honour to captain your country, and when I have had the chance to step in the past, I have loved doing it. I can’t wait to take this team forward.”Connor said: “Jos is a fantastic role model who inspires through his performances on the pitch. He has been instrumental in setting new standards in men’s white-ball cricket, and is the perfect leader to build on the incredible legacy which Eoin has built for our men’s white-ball teams.”Buttler’s appointment as captain was widely anticipated after Morgan’s retirement, with Moeen Ali – the only other realistic contender – endorsing Buttler while working for the BBC’s during the third Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston. He has been vice-captain of the white-ball sides since February 2015 and despite limited captaincy experience, he has been viewed as Morgan’s heir apparent for a number of years.Buttler shut down questions about the prospect of a Test recall during the Netherlands tour and his promotion means it is increasingly hard to work out a route back into the set-up for him, despite his remarkable white-ball form. Sam Billings has been preferred as Ben Foakes’ deputy against India this week and Ben Stokes insisted on Thursday that he had “the Test team I want going forward” available to him.”When we sat down at the start of the summer and selected the squad, it was because those were the guys we wanted in every position and they were the best players to do that,” Stokes said. “At the moment, it’s about giving this team time to succeed and perform.”[Buttler] was the obvious choice once Morgs decided to retire,” Stokes added. “He’s been vice-captain for a number of years and nothing will change. Jos will continue the ethos and mindset that Morgs brought to us from 2015, so, honestly, I don’t think you’ll see anything change whatsoever. It is Jos’ time to take the team forward.”

Devine’s fifty, Tahuhu’s three-for in vain; New Zealand to compete with England for bronze

Valkerie Baynes06-Aug-2022Megan Schutt’s three wickets and another steadfast display from their batters saw Australia to victory against New Zealand in the second semi-final of the Commonwealth Games.New Zealand were left to rue several missed chances after taking the contest to the reigning T20I and ODI world champions. But, after Schutt made early inroads, Australia’s batting depth withstood the pressure through a fifty stand from Beth Mooney and Tahlia McGrath and a signature cool-headed knock from Ashleigh Gardner to win by five wickets.Australia will play India, who defeated England by four runs in Saturday’s earlier semi-final, for the gold and silver-medal places while New Zealand will play for bronze against the host nation.Schutt-ing star(t)Schutt made an immediate impact when she had Suzie Bates, second behind only India’s Smriti Mandhana on the tournament’s run-scoring list, out for a first-ball duck playing onto her stumps.Georgia Plimmer, 18 years of age and making her international debut, came in at No. 3 ahead of Amelia Kerr and managed to overturn an lbw decision off Schutt’s next ball, full and darting in from outside off to rap the front pad, when replays showed it was missing leg stump.Plimmer managed to add 17 runs before Schutt struck again with a brilliant legcutter which enticed her forward then clattered into off stump. At the end of the powerplay, New Zealand were 39 for 2 and, after 10 overs, they had stretched that to 63 for 2. Schutt later had Brooke Halliday caught at deep midwicket by Mooney – who also ran out Maddy Green with a blistering direct hit from mid-off on the last ball of the New Zealand innings – to end with 3 for 20 from her four overs.Simply DevineShortly after the halfway point, Sophie Devine survived an Australia review for lbw on umpire’s call on impact when McGrath beat her attempt to slog. Devine batted well for her 48-ball 53, passing a half-century with back-to-back pulls for four and a thunderous six. Devine’s business-like, brief raising of her bat in acknowledgement of the Edgbaston crowd’s applause suggested there was more work to do.It would have to be done by someone else though after she fell two balls later, attempting a similar shot but, without the same power behind it, Mooney swallowed the catch at deep backward square. Kerr reached 40 from 36 balls before she became the first of McGrath’s two wickets, skying a catch to Darcie Brown at backward point. McGrath also bowled Lea Tahuhu with an excellent yorker to help contain New Zealand to what looked like a below-par 144 for 7.Lea Tahuhu bowled with vigour, returning three wickets•Associated Press

Tahuhu good to leave outAustralia’s run-chase was off to a shaky start when Tahuhu had Alyssa Healy caught down the leg side by young wicketkeeper Isabella Gaze for just 14, continuing a lean run with the bat dating back to her ODI World Cup-winning knock in April. Tahuhu then bowled Meg Lanning with a full, slower ball that ricocheted off the front pad and onto the stumps in the perfect riposte to being clubbed over the deep midwicket rope, not to mention seeing Lanning dropped by Kerr at backward point off the first ball she faced.McGrath and Mooney – the latter dropped on 6 by Gaze off Tahuhu’s bowling – steadied Australia. The pair had lifted their side with an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 141 after a similarly precarious start in their final group game against Pakistan, and this time put on 56 together. McGrath received a second life on 14 when Hannah Rowe put down an easy catch at mid-off from the bowling of Kerr, and when she was run-out by an excellent throw from Kerr at backward point to Gaze, Australia needed 61 off 56 balls.When Mooney holed out to Rowe at deep cover, Tahuhu had her third wicket. Having been left off New Zealand’s central contracts list and only called up to the Commonwealth Games squad after Jess Kerr and Lauren Down pulled for injury and wellbeing reasons respectively, the 31-year-old Tahuhu showed she still has plenty to offer.Tried and trueAustralia’s considerable batting depth came to the fore once more to see them home. With five overs remaining, they needed 34 runs and when Devine had Rachael Haynes brilliantly caught by a diving Bates at long-on it went down to Gardner and Grace Harris to see them home.Gardner, whose only previous knock at the Games had been an unbeaten 52 against India, and Harris, who struck an impressive 37 off 20 from No. 7 in the same match, finished unbeaten on 19 and 8 respectively to reach the target with three balls to spare.

The allrounder scored quickly in difficult conditions, after bowling with venom to restrict Pakistan to 147

Sidharth Monga28-Aug-20222:59

Uthappa: Bhuvneshwar’s short ball can catch you off guard

Hardik Pandya cracked open the game for India with both ball and bat to take them to a tense win over Pakistan with two balls to spare. He bowled with pace and venom, using the short ball perfectly on a pitch with steep bounce to return figures of 4-0-25-3 and restrict Pakistan to 147. On a tacky pitch, India never really broke away from Pakistan until Hardik hit three boundaries in the 19th over. Even in the 20th, Mohammad Nawaz brought it to six required off three, but Hardik sealed it with a flat six over long-on to end up with 33 off 17.

India, Pakistan fined for slow over-rate

India and Pakistan have been fined 40% of their match fees after maintaining slow over-rates during their respective bowling innings in the Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sunday. Both teams were found to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into account, and fined according to the ICC code of conduct.

This was a gruelling match played in oppressive heat and humidity. As a result, both teams struggled to keep time and were penalised for slow over-rate. But while Hardik’s middle-overs wickets had made sure Pakistan couldn’t really exploit there being only four fielders in the deep – instead of the usual five – Hardik was himself there to cash in with the bat.Pakistan were further hampered by their key death bowlers – Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf – cramping up. In the end, they were left with Nawaz bowling the last over because India promoted Ravindra Jadeja when the two spinners – both turning the ball away from right-hand batters – had India in a choke hold in the middle overs. Jadeja immediately hit a six and a four off Nawaz, which meant they had to delay his final over. It also meant the asking rate never got to India because they knew they had that over left; as it happened, it was bowled with an extra fielder in the circle.If it doesn’t swing, dig it in
With grass on the pitch and also given the history of Dubai, it was a big toss to win for India. They expected swing, but didn’t get any. While there was still seam movement on offer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled a surprise bouncer to Babar Azam. It was a brave change-up with third and fine leg both inside the circle, but the line was wide, which meant Babar had to fetch it. He managed just a top edge for short fine leg to catch.Just as Pakistan looked to make the most of the final powerplay over, Avesh Khan came back from a six and a four with another short ball that took the top edge from a Fakhar Zaman cut. At 43 for 2, Pakistan had fallen behind the game early.4:15

‘Hardik Pandya in the side means India almost have 12 players’ – Mickey Arthur

Mohammad Rizwan just couldn’t come to terms with the pitch, falling behind a run a ball. He could hardly time any of his attempted big hits. Iftikhar Ahmed, batting against spinners – not his stronger suit – still managed to score 28 off 22 in a 45-run partnership.With eight overs to go, Pakistan needed to get a move on. This is when Hardik came back to bowl with great pace and bounce. The first ball was just too high and too quick for Iftikhar, taking a top edge on the hook. In the 15th over, Hardik took out both Rizwan and Khushdil Shah with the short ball to make it 103 for 5.Dahani, Rauf give themselves something to bowl
Pinpoint knuckle balls from Bhuvneshwar then reduced Pakistan to 128 for 9, but Shahnawaz Dahani and Rauf managed to score 29 off 13 balls between the two of them. Dahani smacked two lovely sixes, one over long-on and another over midwicket, a hook to a slower bouncer.Pakistan’s fast bowlers impress
The start of India’s innings was hectic. Naseem had KL Rahul play on with the second ball of his T20I career. Then Virat Kohli was dropped for a duck at second slip. Edges went past the wicket. Rohit Sharma kept getting beaten on the outside edge, enduring the slowest powerplay he has had in T20Is. The ball kept fizzing around, but in between Kohli played a lovely front-foot pull over wide mid-on and a back-foot punch. When the powerplay ended at 38 for 1, Pakistan were right in the game.4:49

Pakistan have not figured out template to batting first in T20Is – Robin Uthappa

Spinners strike, India disrupt
India made a bold choice playing Kohli ahead of Rishabh Pant, the only left-hand batter in the top seven. It becomes tricky for India especially when Rohit and Kohli are batting together against spin. If there was any consolation, they didn’t muck around. They went for their shots, but on this pitch Nawaz was good enough to have them caught on the boundary with the last ball of the eighth over and the first of the 10th.Between those two wickets, India improvised, sending Jadeja in at No. 4. The purpose of that move is dual. They get to know how good Jadeja can be when given more batting responsibility, and they also force Pakistan to make a change. Of course all of this would only come to matter if if Jadeja could overcome his ordinary record against spin, which he did by using his feet against Nawaz to hit those boundaries and force Pakistan to keep his last over in the bank.Both sides hang in
Now Jadeja stopped taking risks. Suryakumar Yadav tried but seam movement for Nasem flattened his off stump. Hardik and Jadeja then picked risk-free runs to see how long Pakistan could delay the return of Nawaz. Hardik especially was good enough to accumulate at a healthy rate. The bowlers began to cramp up. India played the waiting game. Even Pakistan were found three overs short, which made 32 off three overs look easier than it should.Pandya overcomes Naseem heroics
When Naseem began the 18th, it was clear Pakistan were going to try their best bets first. However, Naseem’s cramps became debilitating. He could hardly charge in, but conceded just five runs off the first four balls. He came close to getting Jadeja lbw but the batter got the decision overturned on review. The knockout blow came when Jadeja timed him over long-on for a six.Hardik then used the extra fielder in to place his boundaries instead of muscling them. Three fours in the 19th over left India just seven to get in Nawaz’s over. In a final twist, Jadeja was bowled trying to play the slog-sweep, and it came down to six required off the last three. If Pakistan could keep Hardik off strike they had a chance because Karthik’s record against spin is ordinary. However, Hardik coolly hit a flat six over wide long-on to take India home.

They have not played a one-dayer on home soil since November 2020

AAP24-Aug-2022Australia’s immediate sights may be on back-to-back ODI series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand but wicketkeeper Alex Carey says this is where their preparation begins for the 2023 World Cup.Australia face Zimbabwe in three ODIs in Townsville from Sunday, before they meet world No.1 New Zealand for three matches in Cairns from September 6.Sunday’s match marks the first time in almost two years Australia has played a home ODI and will be Zimbabwe’s first bilateral series here since the 2003-2004 summer.Carey says with the World Cup just 12 months away and the squad at almost full strength, it’s time to begin preparations.Related

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“We see it as a great opportunity to continue to evolve our one-day cricket to get some form leading into the next 12 months. So it is a good way to start,” he told reporters in Townsville. “Most players will know their roles coming into the series.”Players have been playing the last couple of weeks as well over in the Hundred in England, so for us it’s preparing the best way we can.”One-day cricket you know how you try to set up, but we’ll obviously sum up the conditions as well and play accordingly.”Zimbabwe named their 15-man squad for the tour on Tuesday after falling 3-0 to India in a series at home. With Craig Ervine still sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Regis Chakabva will captain the side again.Their recent series against India and Bangladesh will provide important footage Carey said, with little known of some of their squad.”In this format, I haven’t played them,” he said. “They’ve had some recent form so they’ll be keen to come over here and play some good cricket. They knocked off Bangladesh recently. So we will do our research if guys haven’t already started.”We’ve got some vision of bowlers, batters and we are up here five days early. So, we’re keen to get around, meet and greet and it get stuck into it.”

Favourites Royals tripped at the final hurdle despite solid knocks from Azam Khan and Rahkeem Cornwall

Deivarayan Muthu01-Oct-2022
A regal half-century from Brandon King and three-wicket hauls from Fabian Allen and Nicholson Gordon thwarted favourites Barbados Royals and gave Jamaica Tallawahs their third – and first since 2016 – CPL title. Shamarh Brooks, who scored a sublime century in the second qualifier against Guyana Amazon Warriors, also contributed handsomely, with a 33-ball 47, as Tallawahs chased down 162 with plenty to spare at Providence.The odds were stacked against Tallawahs even before a ball was bowled in the final. Mohammad Amir, who had taken a chart-topping nine wickets in the powerplay this season, was ruled out after having suffered a groin injury during the second qualifier. Then, his replacement, Migael Pretorius, conceded 24 runs in his two powerplay overs and then jarred his back while attempting a catch in the outfield. In the absence of their overseas spearheads, local seamer Gordon, in his first CPL season, stepped up at the death with figures of 3 for 33.It was left-arm fingerspinner Fabian Allen who had launched Tallawahs’ fightback after Kyle Mayers and Rahkeem Cornwall had slammed 63 off 35 balls for the first wicket. Allen got rid of the dangerous Cornwall with the last ball of the powerplay for 36 off 21, and proceeded to dismiss Mayers soon after, He later sent back Azam Khan, who had top-scored for Royals with 51 off 40 balls.It was déjà vu for the Royals franchise: they reached the IPL 2022 final but had fallen short at the final hurdle there as well.Kyle Mayers and Rahkeem Cornwall gave Barbados Royals a rapid start•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Cornwall’s opening salvo

Despite variable bounce posing a threat to batters – some balls reared from a length while some shot low at shin height from a similar length – Cornwall stayed true to his role of maximising the powerplay. He whipped Pretorius over square leg for six and then went 6, 6, 4 against offspinner Chris Green in the fourth over. In the next, Cornwall picked a fairly blameless non-turning ball from Imad Wasim and launched it over midwicket for a massive six.Mayers, too, was aggressive from the outset and punished anything that was full and in his arc. However, both the openers fell either side of the powerplay to trigger a wobble.Fabian Allen was named the Player of the Match for his three-wicket haul•CPL T20 via Getty Images

Allen and Imad pin down Royals
Allen had induced that wobble by exploiting the variable bounce on offer. After defeating Cornwall with extra bounce, he bowled Mayers with a slider that kept low. He then returned in the end overs to have an advancing Azam stumped. Allen was also busy in the field, patrolling the hotspots.Imad Wasim, who was the Player of the Match when Tallawahs had won the title in 2016, bowled inswingers in the powerplay and didn’t let Azam get away either. Something had to give and that something was a promoted Jason Holder missing a slog and being castled by Imad for 17 off 19 balls.Azam went on to notch up a 39-ball half-century but couldn’t find a higher gear to hurt Tallawahs. Najibullah Zadran was also responsible for Royals’ slowdown, managing just six off 12 balls.Gordon thrives at the death
Gordon wasn’t even needed with the ball during the Eliminator against Kings, but in the final, Rovman Powell needed him to do the tough job of bowling at the death. He varied his pace cleverly and bowled into the pitch to best Najibullah, Devon Thomas and Corbin Bosch. Thrown in at the deep end in his first CPL season at the age of 30, Gordon repaid Tallawahs’ faith and proved that his chart-topping tally in the inaugural 6ixty that preceded the CPL was no fluke.Brandon Kings struck a regal 50-ball 83 to lead the Tallawahs charge in the chase•CPL T20 via Getty Images

King: Batting royalty from Guyana Jamaica
Before CPL 2022, Powell had been quite vocal about getting the local Jamaica boys together in their quest for unlikely success. King moved from Guyana Amazon Warriors and Allen from St Kitts and Nevis Patriots; it was quite fitting that the pair played starring roles for Tallawahs in the final.Mayers struck in the first over of the chase to york Kennar Lewis, but King repaired the damage with an 86-run second-wicket partnership with Brooks off 58 balls.After patiently seeing off the new ball – King was on a run-a-ball 25 at one stage – he cranked up the tempo to raise his half-century off 36 balls. Along the way, King also surpassed his West Indian opening partner Mayers to become the highest run-getter this season.Spin has been King’s nemesis in the past, but he found a way past Mujeeb Ur Rahman and left-arm fingerspinner Joshua Bishop, who had been picked ahead of legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr on the day. King took Mujeeb and Bishop for 44 off a mere 19 balls, including eight fours and a six. He iced the game with another six, off Obed McCoy, to spark wild celebrations in Tallawahs’ camp.

“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

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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.”

The New Zealander will join the team on their ongoing tour of Australia

Umar Farooq10-Jan-2023Mark Coles is back as head coach of the Pakistan women’s team, and will join the squad on their ongoing tour of Australia. The New Zealander takes over the responsibility from interim head coach Saleem Jaffar, who was originally working as the team’s bowling coach with fellow former Pakistan men’s international Taufeeq Umar as batting coach.The PCB, under a new management committee headed by Najam Sethi, has roped Coles in on a one-year contract. He previously served as head coach from 2017 to 2019, when he resigned from the role citing family commitments.Related

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• Mark Coles resigns as Pakistan women's head coach

• Diana Baig returns as Pakistan name squads for women's T20 World Cup and Australia tour

“I have worked with Mark and he is a perfect coach for a women’s team – gentle but firm, friendly but strict,” Sethi, told ESPNcricinfo. “He is a well-respected coach and in his previous stint with Pakistan he worked incredibly hard for the team’s progress. Players only had good words to say about him, hence we have decided to bring him back and he will be joining the team in Australia with immediate effect.”The PCB has been functioning under Sethi ever since the government removed ex-chair Ramiz Raja and his board by revoking the 2019 constitution the PCB was operating under and giving the Sethi-led 14-member committee full executive powers to work on reviving the constitution of 2014.Pakistan are presently in Australia for a series of three ODIs starting January 16, which are part of the 2022-25 Women’s Championship. It will be followed by a series of three T20Is, following which the team will travel to South Africa for the Women’s T20 World Cup – where Pakistan are in Group 2 along with England, India, Ireland and West Indies. Pakistan play their opening game against India on February 12 in Cape Town. Pakistan have never gone past the group stage of the T20 World Cup; in the 2020 edition, they won only one game, against West Indies, and lost to England and South Africa; their fixture against Thailand was washed out.Coles was first appointed in 2017, on a trial basis, ahead of a series against New Zealand in the UAE, as part of the PCB’s efforts to revamp women’s cricket and bring in a professional structure. Until then, the PCB had brought in coaches on a series-by-series basis and had even gone into their previous 50-over World Cup, earlier that year, with Sabih Azhar only a few weeks into his job. Coles was offered a long-term contract but Sethi resigned in 2018, and a year later Coles resigned to focus on his family responsibilities.Months later he joined the Japan Cricket Association as a high-performance manager in 2020, and he has since worked with the Vanuatu Cricket Association and been a high-performance manager with the women’s teams of Western Australia and Wellington. He won a domestic T20 title in 2013 with Wellington Blaze. His last coaching job was with the Scotland women’s team, from February 2021 to February 2022.In his term with Pakistan, Coles led the women’s team to seven wins in 16 ODIs, including a first-ever series victory over West Indies in 2019, and 12 wins in 30 T20Is. Between Coles’ resignation and return, the core of the team hasn’t changed drastically, with captain Bismah Maroof set to welcome back her former coach.Pakistan have already named their squads for the Australia tour and the Women World Cup, with fast bowler Diana Baig leading Pakistan’s bowling pack in both ODIs and T20Is. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who emerged during Coles’ previous term, has developed to become an automatic choice in both formats. Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the T20 Asia Cup in Bangladesh this October, and beat their arch-rivals India in a thriller after they lost to Thailand earlier in the tournament.

England spinner feared for his life after contracting sepsis on tour three years ago but returns in much happier place

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Feb-2023Hamilton is hardly a city known for its vibes, least of all on a Tuesday after the Waitangi Bank Holiday. But the Novotel Hotel situated just off the main strip is its own little hub of activity, threatening to make enough noise to stir this sleepy town, if only for this week in February.It is here where both the England men’s Test side and a New Zealand XI will be based for the next few days. The teams will square off for a warm-up match up the road at Seddon Park that has already been cut in half, the tourists having decided to keep the more useful first two days under lights ahead of the day-night Test in Mount Maunganui. Friday and Saturday will be left to some fine-tuning, though who knows, one of those days could be substituted for time on the golf course.The last 10 days have been more about irons and tees rather than leather and willow for England, absolutely in keeping with touring under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. A quick hit around in Auckland, followed by a week in Queenstown and another dalliance at the start of this week – including Tuesday, which had originally been mooted for nets – have, with the help of a few evening excursions, quickly recalibrated the group onto their highly successful freewheeling wavelength. If there wasn’t a pink Kookaburra ball to reacquaint themselves with, England would probably be game to start the two-match series tomorrow. By all accounts, the enthusiasm and belief of this team is as strong as ever. Nine wins out of 10 will do that to you.Related

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Interestingly enough, alignment is a lot better on the field than off it. As Jack Leach spoke on Tuesday afternoon, he had no qualms dipping into a bit of heresy: “I hate golf. But the other lads love it. I’ve played a couple of rounds and then I sort of gave up and became more of a caddie.”There is comfort in those words, evidence of a player who has never been more settled in the national set-up, at ease enough with his acquired status as Stokes’ trusted spinner to lay into his skipper’s favourite pastime. Not for the first time, he spoke about feeling a sense of belonging he had struggled to find in the past.To be having this conversation in New Zealand feels all the more relevant. It is almost four years since a Test debut in Christchurch. Pride was replaced by pain some 18 months later when he was in his room in this same Hamilton Novotel fearing for his life. A bout of sepsis brought on by food poisoning that knocked him more than most on account of the immunosuppressants he takes once a week to manage his Crohn’s disease left him fearful of falling asleep in case he did not wake.”When I came back to this hotel I was like, ‘ah, bad memories’,” he said. Having played the first Test of that 2019-20 series, he was ruled out of the second and spent day one holed up in his room while the team doctor was at the ground. It was only when the doctor returned that Leach was taken to the emergency room where he had a drip in one arm and a stream antibiotics in the other. He was discharged after 48 hours but the effects were still felt on the following tour of South Africa which he left early after being felled by another bug.Here and now, he regards himself as a different person, physically and mentally. The numbers bear that out to some degree: 32 Test caps, 110 victims at 34.25 and 400 at 28.24 in all first-class cricket. But Leach also wonders if the link between a healthier balance across the board, particularly when it comes to managing Crohn’s, has something to do with the brand of cricket Stokes and McCullum have imprinted upon him.”It [Crohn’s] can be stress related. So maybe being a little bit more relaxed is actually helping that side of my health as well? Fingers crossed it stays that way.”I know at some point someone might come along who’s better and take my place, and that will be absolutely fair enough. I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can and do as much as I can for the team.”I think I view things slightly differently, just how fun it is winning games. I want to contribute to winning games.”He concedes there is usually trepidation when looking at what lies ahead in tours and especially years such as this with an Ashes series on the horizon. But his game is in an altogether better place, characterised by finishing 2022 with 46 wickets. Only Kagiso Rabada and Nathan Lyon were ahead of him, both with 47.The number accompanying that 46 – an average of 38.28 – jars. Though not as much as it usually would.”I would never think an 38 average would mean 46 wickets, I thought it would mean 20 wickets, 2.5 an over and not looking like taking a wicket.”I still look at that and think ‘I’d love that to be 31, 32’, but I know the only way I can do that is by bowling better, not safer. I need to be braver. That was a nice reflection at the end of the year. The message in the dressing room is ‘whatever they get, we’ll get’. It’s probably subtly asking more of people, it’s just really fun to be part of.”It almost seems too on the nose – championing the healing, soul-cleansing power of Bazball. And yet Leach is both the best example of a player being lifted to a different level and not taking it as seriously. Empowered and at ease, and like this group, ready to ensure 2022 was the norm rather than a happy anomaly.

Peter Hatzoglou and quick Matt Kelly will come into the frame for next weekend’s decider which could attract 50,000 fans

Tristan Lavalette29-Jan-2023Perth Scorchers quick Jhye Richardson is set to miss the BBL decider next Saturday as he continues to battle a hamstring injury.Richardson is likely to be the hard luck story for defending champions Scorchers, who locked in a home grand final after beating arch-rival Sydney Sixers by seven wickets at a febrile Optus Stadium.After sustaining what was deemed a minor hamstring injury against Sydney Thunder on January 4, Richardson had been earmarked to return in time for the finals series but his recovery has taken longer than expected.”I think Jhye’s chances are pretty slim. I’d be surprised if we see him next weekend,” conceded Scorchers captain Ashton Turner.On the fringes of Australia’s Test team, Richardson has played three Test matches with his most recent being in the Adelaide Ashes Test in December 2021, where he memorably bowled Australia to victory on the final day with a five-wicket haul.Related

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But the 26-year-old Richardson fell down the pecking order this summer with a nagging heel injury consigning him to the sidelines for an extended period ahead of the BBL season.A fit and firing Richardson, however, issued a reminder of his talents with explosive bowling nudging 150kph to take 15 wickets in just seven matches to be the BBL’s standout quick until his latest setback.With fresh doubts over Richardson’s ability to stay on the field, Scorchers are set to be cautious with an eye on his long-term future.”Jhye’s such an exciting cricketer, but he’s still a young guy,” Turner said. “He puts his body through a lot. But we also have a bit of perspective. Jhye’s got a lot of cricket ahead of him, in orange, playing for WA, playing for Australia, playing for franchises around the world.”He’s too important to put unnecessary risk on his body. I don’t think it’s worth putting someone’s young body under too much stress.”

Perth Scorchers weigh up specialist spinner

Richardson’s absence will be a blow for Scorchers given his liking for the big stage having taken seven wickets in three previous grand finals, including a player of the match performance against Sixers in the BBL06 decider.Scorchers will also be without speedster Lance Morris, who played his last BBL match of the season before joining Australia’s squad for the Test tour of India.Morris’ replacement is set to be a battle between reliable legspinner Peter Hatzoglou and quick Matt Kelly, who missed the Sixers match due to concussion protocol after suffering a freak injury to his face while fielding against Melbourne Renegades.Peter Hatzoglou could give Perth Scorchers a specialist spin option•Getty Images

Scorchers went into the clash against Sixers without a specialist spinner with part-timers Turner and Cooper Connolly not used.”We’ll have to assess the conditions,” Turner said. “Peter Hatzoglou has bowled really nicely for us over a couple of years now. He’s someone who should be playing at this level. He’s got a proven track record, he’s won us games.”Left-arm quick David Payne is likely to hold his spot after a starring role against Sixers with the pivotal dismissals of Steven Smith and Moises Henriques amid a three-wicket haul.His performance was even more impressive with Payne having been a doubtful starter after feeling unwell and forced into isolation from his teammates.”We have a lot of confidence in every player in our squad. We trust what they have to say. He’s been such a valuable inclusion into our squad,” Turner said of Englishman Payne, who replaced compatriot Tymal Mills after he was unavailable for the tournament due to a family emergency.”It’s been a seamless transition for him. He’s been great for our dressing room. Thankfully now he’s got a couple of days to rest up.”

Hope for 50,000 fans at BBL final

After such a commanding victory over Sixers, lapped up by more than 41,000 vocal fans, Scorchers have strengthened their status as the competition’s powerhouse franchise on-and-off the field.As Scorchers attempt a back-to-back triumph and fifth title overall, a 50,000 crowd is expected at Optus Stadium, which will host a BBL grand final for the first time.Only an Australia-England ODI and a BBL semi-final between Scorchers and Hurricanes have attracted crowds over 50,000 for cricket at the venue and both those matches were held immediately after the Burswood stadium opened in early 2018.No matter who they play, Scorchers will start firm favourites having won 12 of their last 13 matches at home.”It is a distinct home ground advantage,” Sixers quick Sean Abbott said. “Those guys play their home conditions extremely well.”