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The Richardsons – Jhye and Kane – set up victory by limiting Sri Lanka to 139 for 8

Alex Malcolm18-Feb-2022Australia’s bowlers strangled Sri Lanka with the ball before a middle-overs batting masterclass from Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell rescued the home side from a precarious position to post another comfortable six-wicket win at the MCG and go 4-0 up.Sri Lanka lost 6 for 12 in 19 balls in their under par innings of 8 for 139 with Ashton Agar bowling 10 dot balls to claim 1 for 14 from four, while Jhye Richardson picked up 2 for 20 on his international return.Australia slumped to 3 for 49 in the ninth over in the chase before Inglis stroked a masterful 40 off 20 and Maxwell manipulated the chase with a classy 48 not out from 39 balls to steer his side home with 11 balls to spare and claim player of the match honours.Maxwell also produced a stunning direct hit run out to remove the dangerous Kusal Mendis during Sri Lanka’s innings just as he and Pathum Nissanka were laying the visitor’s best platform of the series. Nissanka made 46 from 40 but failed to kick on. Australia managed all this without their big three fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins who were sent home to Sydney to rest for the last two games of the series.Kusal finally arrivesNissanka had been holding up Sri Lanka’s top order in this series but finally he got some support from Mendis. He was one of the few Sri Lankan batters to show some true power-hitting intent in this series. Danushka Gunathilaka struck a powerful six down the ground but fell for a run-a-ball 17 to Ashton Agar. Mendis took a few balls to get off the mark but he opened his account with a sublime piece of timing. He then attacked Maxwell and Kane Richardson with two excellent blows down the ground. Nissanka was busy as well as the pair were intent on facing fewer dot balls in this innings after Sri Lanka absorbed 55 dots in game three in Canberra. They laid the perfect platform moving Sri Lanka to 1 for 73 after 10 with both Mendis and Nissanka well set.Maxwell missile sparks collapseWhile the running intent was admirable it brought about Mendis’ downfall. Nissanka worked a ball to the mid-on circle off Agar and Mendis pushed for two but picked the wrong fielder to take on. Maxwell swooped from the rope with a one-handed pick-up and a rocket throw to produce a direct hit that left Mendis miles short. Agar then put the squeeze on again claiming figures of 1 for 14 from four for the second straight game, including 10 dots and just 14 singles. Adam Zampa also clamped down to pressure Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. The latter cracked, skying Jhye Richardson straight up and Sri Lanka lost 6 for 12 in 19 balls at the end of the innings. The two Richardsons cashed in with two wickets apiece while there was another calamitous run out, although Kane copped some tap in the final over conceding 17. Chamika Karunaratne produced two sensational strikes. He clubbed two length balls over wide long on to leave Kane Richardson with figures of 2 for 44 from four.Glenn Maxwell made a 39-ball 48•Getty Images

Agar out of his depthAustralia trialled Agar at the top again. The theory is similar to the way Melbourne Renegades first used Sunil Narine as an opener, which was eventually adopted with great success by Kolkata Knight Riders. Andrew McDonald was coach of the Renegades at the time and Aaron Finch was captain as they are for Australia now. The idea is to lengthen the middle order and let the lesser skilled Agar bat with just two men out in the powerplay. But the mystery of Maheesh Theekshana and the express pace of Chameera Dushmantha and Lahiru Kumara tied Agar in knots. He faced 14 dots in 31 balls, including four in a row at one point, and struck just two boundaries. It was more dot balls than he bowled. His lack of scoring put pressure on Ben McDermott and Aaron Finch with both succumbing while searching for a boundary. Kumara was rewarded for an exceptional spell of express pace bowling with two wickets. Finch holed out to deep backward square and then Agar miscued to mid-on to end his tortured stay of 26 from 31 and leave Australia in a major hole at 3 for 49 in the 9th over.Ingenuity from Inglis and MaxwellIf there was any pressure built up, Inglis wasn’t feeling it and he released it immediately with a skillful array of strokeplay to take the game away from Sri Lanka. His first ball was a dot ball and then he scored off every ball he faced thereafter until he fell. He struck back-to-back boundaries off Jeffrey Vandersay including a brilliant reverse sweep. He did have a huge slice of luck in Vandersay’s next over when he lofted him to long off and Chameera took the catch but misjudged where the rope was and landed on the wrong side of it with ball still in hand.Inglis was flawless from thereon. He picked off three twos with superb placement and carved Chameera for six over wide third man. He fell trying to dab the next ball for a single and got a thin edge but his job was done. He dragged his more senior partner Maxwell with him. Maxwell didn’t find the rope with the same ease but he struck eight twos using his intimate knowledge of the MCG’s huge dimensions to his advantage. He and Marcus Stoinis struck three boundaries after the fall of Inglis to ice the game with 11 balls to spare.

While India are the most recent winners of the tournament in 2023, it was played in ODI format

Andrew Fidel Fernando12-Sep-20252:05

Jaffer: Hasaranga’s return big boost for SL

As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, they are defending champions at this year’s Asia Cup. The case they are making is that the ODI version of the Asia Cup – which India last won in 2023 – is a different tournament entirely.The tournament alternates between the two white-ball formats based on which World Cup is around the corner. In 2023, it was the 50-over World Cup. In 2025, it is the T20 World Cup. And as far as the T20I version of the Asia Cup goes, Sri Lanka are the most-recent victors, having taken the title in 2022.”Mentally, the fact that we are defending champions is a really good thing,” Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said ahead of his team’s first Asia Cup game, against Bangladesh on Saturday. “It was a lot of these players that played in that last tournament here [in UAE] as well. We know that because we are champions we can go far. The players are using that as motivation.”Related

• Familiar foes Bangladesh and Sri Lanka meet in high-stakes contest

• Hridoy hits back at critics as Bangladesh opt for safety over speed

• Why are Sri Lanka and Bangladesh so poor at T20I batting?

• Hasaranga fit for Sri Lanka's Asia Cup campaign

At home, both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh tend to play on slower tracks not especially suited to batting. But Asalanka expected the Abu Dhabi surface to be different.”When you’re rating these conditions with other venues in the UAE, I think Abu Dhabi is the best pitch for batters. Once the ball gets softer it’s much easier to bat here, and the outfield is very nice. Every batsman wants to play in Abu Dhabi.”Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are very familiar with each other, having played three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests since the start of the year. Sri Lanka won the ODI and the Test series but Bangladesh took the T20I series.

New Zealand captain will only bat in their first warm-up match, and aims to field as well in their second warm-up fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2023New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the opening match of the 2023 ODI World Cup against England as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.Williamson will play as a specialist batter in New Zealand’s warm-up match against Pakistan in Hyderabad on Friday, with the aim of fielding and batting in their next warm-up game against South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.”Right from the start we’ve taken a long-term view on Kane’s return to play,” New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead said. “His recovery is tracking well and it’s now a matter of making sure he can cope with the rigours and intensity of international cricket. We’ll continue to take a day by day approach to Kane’s rehabilitation and certainly won’t be putting any pressure on him to return before he is ready.”Related

• Undercooked New Zealand bank on World Cup smarts

• 'Knee held up pretty well' – Williamson marks return from injury with half-century

• Southee to join New Zealand World Cup squad as he continues recovery

• Williamson aiming to play a part in New Zealand's warm-up games

Williamson is returning from a six-month layoff after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the opening match of IPL 2023 and undergoing surgery. He continued his rehab in England along with the national side and had a “desire to be involved” in the World Cup warm-up matches.”It’s just wanting to progress [with] what I am doing now – the running, the fielding, and also time in the middle with the bat,” Williamson had said ahead of the team’s departure to India earlier this week.”The load is going to keep increasing, so there is a little bit of an unknown. But it has felt pretty good really in the last few weeks, [I’m] hoping it continues to feel like that. But we’re definitely looking to touch on more stuff, [and] introducing myself into the game mode, which is something which we haven’t had the opportunity to do.”In Williamson’s absence, Tom Latham will captain New Zealand in the World Cup opener against England on October 5 in Ahmedabad. Latham will also lead in the two warm-up matches, with Williamson’s focus purely on getting fit in time for New Zealand’s second World Cup game against the Netherlands on October 9.

Under-suspension Zimbabwe look to kick off Hamilton Masakadza’s farewell series on a high as hosts Bangladesh aim to recover from their Test defeat to Afghanistan

The preview by Liam Brickhill12-Sep-2019

Big Picture

Zimbabwe are a cricket team in desperate need of context; Bangladesh, one that is aching for a return to normalcy and stability. Bangladesh’s first T20I match of the year, against an opponent they have dominated at home in recent years, should give them just the sort of soft landing they need in this tri-series ahead of what will likely be sterner challenges against Afghanistan, who are probably the favourites at this stage.Hot on the heels of the Test defeat to Afghanistan, further ructions are at play in Bangladesh’s cricket system, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board set to take charge of the next edition of the BPL after a fallout with the team owners. Shakib Al Hasan has grown increasingly frustrated in his captaincy tenure, and the T20 World Cup is just a year away. A win over Zimbabwe will go some way towards calming everything down a little bit for Bangladesh.Zimbabwe, of course, do not have any global tournament on the horizon to look forward to. They are still under suspension, and both the men’s and women’s sides lost their places at the T20 World Cup Qualifiers as a result. The suspension opened up divisions in their squad that are yet to fully heal.Zimbabwe enter the series without one of their most accomplished players as Sikandar Raza has been left out for ‘disciplinary reasons’ – a curious catch-all phrase that is yet to be fully explained. Their head coach, Lalchand Rajput, admitted that Raza will undoubtedly be missed, but he also underscored that Zimbabwe are a team in transition, with their eyes on the future. What that means for Raza’s future remains to be seen. And with only three members of the squad aged 25 or under, and nine aged 30 or above, Zimbabwe do not appear to be in a huge rush to usher in a new era.And first, they will say goodbye to the past. This series will be Hamilton Masakadza’s last in national colours. A long-time servant of the game, Masakadza has struggled a little of late, amid tumultuous times, and will be desperate for his last games as captain to be happy ones. So, surely, will Shakib.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LWLWWZimbabwe: WLTLL

In the spotlight

Since his teenage Test hundred on debut 18 years ago, Hamilton Masakadza has summited several statistical peaks for his team, and he will go out playing a format in which he blazed a trail for his country, holding several Zimbabwean records. But the last year has been a lean one in all formats: he has passed fifty only once in internationals – during the Sylhet Test the last time Zimbabwe visited Bangladesh. Runs at the top of the order will provide a fitting finale, as well as vastly improving his team’s chances of success.Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in this format over the last year, and is only narrowly behind Liton Das as their leading T20I run-scorer over the same time period. Indeed, he is central to Bangladesh’s fortunes no matter the format, and in a sense the spotlight is always on him. Perhaps that is why he has become an increasingly reluctant captain. But there will be no let-up for him just yet, and Bangladesh will continue to look to Shakib as a leader with bat and ball, even if he doesn’t have the captain’s hat on.AFP

Team news

Tamim Iqbal is still on R & R leave, so Bangladesh will have to cobble together a new opening pair for this series. But plenty of experience remains in the core of the middle order. There could be some new faces lower down, however, and Afif Hossain’s three quick wickets for the BCB XI on Wednesday could see him picked ahead of Mosaddek Hossain, while pace bowler Yeasin Arafat may be in line for a T20I debut.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Afif Hossain, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Yeasin ArafatBrendan Taylor kept wicket in Zimbabwe’s warm-up match, and will likely take the gloves again, despite Zimbabwe having, somewhat bizarrely, two specialist wicketkeepers in the squad in Regis Chakabva and Richmond Mutumbami. The absence of Raza leaves a hole in the middle order but Timycen Maruma’s outing against the BCB XI in the tour opener means he should fill the vacant slot ahead of either of the wicketkeepers. Chris Mpofu, Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is over the last year, didn’t get a bowl in the warm-up, so he may well be left out of the series opener.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Hamilton Masakadza (capt), 2 Brendan Taylor (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Timycen Maruma, 6 Ryan Burl, 7 Tino Mutombodzi, 8 Neville Madziva, 9 Kyle Jarvis, 10 Ainsley Ndlovu, 11 Tendai Chatara

Pitch and conditions

The T20 strip at the Shere Bangla Stadium has built a reputation for big scores in recent times: Bangladesh breached 200 here for the first time during West Indies’ visit in December last year. This should be a good track to bat on, while probably offering a little more to the spinners than it will the quicks.While the track might be conducive to exciting cricket, the weather may not. Rain is forecast in Dhaka in the morning and the evening. This being an evening game, wet weather is likely to be around.

Stats that matter

• Hamilton Masakadza’s 1529 runs in this format are the most by a Zimbabwean, and almost twice as many as the man below him on the list, Elton Chigumbura. He also holds the record for most fifties (10), and most runs in a series – the 222 he scored over four games in Bangladesh in 2015/16.
• Craig Ervine is Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer in this format over the last year, with 211 runs at an average of 70.33
• The last time these two teams met in a T20 here, allrounder Neville Madziva inspired Zimbabwe to a win when Bangladesh seemingly had the match in the bag, spanking two sixes and a four in the final over to pull off a memorable heist
• Bangladesh have won five of the nine T20Is between these two sides
• Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer and wicket-taker against Zimbabwe in this format, with 185 runs at 37.00 and 12 wickets at 17.50 against them

After Covid delays the rivalry resumes, but the two teams do not have an ODI series in the FTP from 2023-2027

Andrew McGlashan05-Sep-2022

Big Picture

This series has been a long time coming. Australia and New Zealand started a Chappell-Hadlee contest just days before the world was shut down by the pandemic, the opening game played behind closed doors at the SCG, before New Zealand had to make a hasty journey home with borders shutting.Matches were then on the schedule in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons only for both to fall by the wayside as international travel, even between two close neighbours, remained problematic due to quarantine requirements. So now, in late 2022 as winter turns to spring in Australia, they will finally face each other again.It has the makings of an excellent series. New Zealand have named a full-strength side while Australia, with home advantage, have almost everyone available but need to rebound from the shock loss against Zimbabwe in the final match in Townsville.Related

• Lockie Ferguson 'refreshed and raring to go' in Australia

• Aaron Finch is in a rut, and faces a big week in his ODI career

• Williamson: Cricket's landscape is changing 'so quickly'

When the Chappell-Hadlee Series was first added to the international game it had a reasonably frequent space on the calendar – played six times over six years – but since then it has become far more sporadic with four series in 10 years (alongside two one-off games in ODI World Cups) one of which was the aborted 2020 edition.And it is uncertain when it will be played again after this series. Under the 2023-27 Future Tours Progamme, the two teams are not scheduled to face each other in bilateral ODIs. It seems a massive shame that the neighbours can’t find a week in the calendar more often.On the field over the next few days, the major storyline for Australia will be the form of captain Aaron Finch. It feels his ODI cricket is reaching a vital juncture and a lean week in Cairns will increase the questions ahead of next year’s World Cup. For New Zealand, they will be looking to build on the series victory in the West Indies which continued strong ODI form: they have lost just one of their 12 Super League matches but haven’t won an ODI in Australia since 2009.

Recent form

(last five matches, most recent first)Australia LWWWL
New Zealand WWLWW

In the spotlight

It’s hard to look beyond the Australia captain. Aaron Finch made 21 runs in three innings against Zimbabwe to continue a tough year in ODIs. A strong return in Cairns will quieten the topic, but New Zealand’s pace attack will provide a tough examination. Finch’s record against New Zealand is also his worst in the format with an average of 17.20 from 10 ten matches, although he did make 60 at the SCG back in 2020.Finn Allen has made a very promising start to his ODI career, reaching at least 25 in five of his seven innings and making two half-centuries, including a match-winning 96 on a tricky surface against West Indies in Barbados. That innings, which came off 117 balls, was the surest sign yet that Allen is much more than the top-order dasher that has been seen in T20. However, he certainly has the game to quickly take attacks apart and it will be fascinating to see him against Australia’s strong line-up.Will there be another chance for Sean Abbott?•Getty Images

Team news

The main decision for Australia would appear to be whether to retain the same XI from the last two games in Townsville or replace Ashton Agar with a pace-bowling allrounder option in Sean Abbott. Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis are also part of the squad.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Alex Carey (wk), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Ashton Agar/Sean Abbott, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodFor New Zealand it could be a call whether there is room for either Michael Bracewell as another spin-bowling allrounder or Glenn Phillips as a batter in the middle order. A fit-again Matt Henry will push for inclusion in the pace attack.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Finn Allen, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Devon Conway, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Latham (wk), 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

As in Townsville, it is again a little bit of the unknown given the lack of international cricket at the venue. The day-night element will remove the impact of the early-morning starts in the Zimbabwe series, instead it might be whether conditions change under lights. After some recent rain, the forecast is warm and sunny, but the pitch has been under cover a bit which could mean some early life with Finch expecting a challenge against the new ball.

Stats and trivia

• Cairns lasted staged international cricket in 2004 when Australia faced Sri Lanka
• Tim Southee needs three wickets to become the fifth New Zealand bowler to take 200 in ODIs
• Australia have won the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy six times to New Zealand’s four with two series drawn

Quotes

“They are a world-class side…they are a fantastic unit and have been for a long time to be one of the benchmarks in all three formats. The fact they are world No. 1 in the ODI cricket is testament to that.”
Aaron Finch on New Zealand“We know how strong this Australian side is, the quality they have throughout, so for us it’s a great opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the world and for us to execute the things that are important to us so looking forward to the challenge.”

Allrounder’s hundred and Steven Smith’s concussion means his could be the most prized wicket on either side at Headingley

Andrew Miller19-Aug-2019Two Tests into a pulsating Ashes series, and the notion of “redemption” is already becoming very tedious. One journalist at Lord’s even added the word to his listed of muted phrases on Twitter on Sunday afternoon, at the moment that Ben Stokes clipped Nathan Lyon off his toes to jog through to his seventh Test century and – lest we fail to notice the elephant in the room, let alone ignore it – his first since the events outside Mbargo nightclub on September 25, 2017.Before the Fall. After the Fall … can’t we all just move on? Just as Steven Smith is still being expected by some to keep apologising for events that occurred close to two years ago now, in spite a series of on-field performances that confirm that the sport is so much richer for his involvement than his banishment, so Stokes too can’t help but be judged by his returns in the context of that incident.And yet, it is clear that for Stokes in particular, that terrible night in Bristol and its career-threatening aftermath remain as enduringly relevant as ever, not because he feels he deserves to be punished for evermore, but because of his desire to bury those lingering bad memories between a mountain of new accolades.And so it wasn’t enough for Stokes to light the flame of the 2019 World Cup with that extraordinary outfield catch in the tournament opener at The Oval. Or to carry the team’s batting when the wheels started to wobble in defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia. Or to dig deep and refuse to falter when New Zealand surged in the early stages of England’s run chase in the final. Or to go beyond even his own exhausting limits, and do it all again minutes later in the Super Over.No, that was just the start for Stokes as he enters, at 28, his prime as an international sportsman. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo’s George Dobell in Jaipur earlier this year, Stokes said that his personal motivation for winning the World Cup was to ensure that the feat became the first paragraph of his rewritten player profile. That objective duly achieved, he’s making a play for the rest of the word-count.And so, in that context, a first Test century since Bristol feels very significant indeed. Not to mention, a first Test century at Lord’s since his riotously carefree 101 from 92 against New Zealand four years ago. And his first against Australia since in December 2013 when, in only his second Test, he went toe-to-toe with Mitchell Johnson on a Perth flier, scoring 120 from 195 in an exhibition of pugnacity that was entirely at odds with the timid tone of England’s overall campaign.Self-evidently he’s not the same cricketer that he was before his life choices became tabloid fodder. Prior to his recall in New Zealand in February 2018, Stokes’ international career been rattling along at a strike-rate of 98.74 in ODIs and 63.77 in Tests (or 3.82 an over, brisk by any standards). Now that he has placed a greater premium on his wicket, those numbers have slipped to 87.16 and 48.45 respectively. And if, in doing so, he has sacrificed a few top-notes of destruction, then he’s also sent self-destruction packing at the same time. That run of ODI form in early 2014, for instance – 0, 5, 5, 4, 0, 4, 0, punched locker, broken hand – isn’t going to be replicated in a hurry.Ben Stokes belts one through the leg side•Getty Images

And so it was fitting that Stokes’ first Test century of his new era was a hard-fought grind. He could have been out three times in his first six balls as Lyon ragged it out of the rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, and would have been out for 6 from 13 balls had Lyon again reviewed an lbw appeal that was hitting leg.But somehow, he found a means to endure, by sliding ever deeper into his crease, watching the turn and shelving the sweep, and taking it upon himself to be the sheet-anchor that this England batting line-up so desperately needs, as it attempts an urgent and cruelly abrupt metamorphosis from pro-active, hard-handed white-ball bullies to soft-power Test survivors.And on that note, it is also telling how Stokes’ name has been exempt from the mutterings of post-World Cup burn-out that have afflicted so many of his team-mates in that glorious campaign. Jason Roy looks lost at the top of the order, Joe Root’s form is in freefall, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow are fighting against instinct to make that transition. Moeen Ali has been canned, and is currently bowling seam-up for Worcestershire in a losing cause at Northampton. Aside from Stokes, only Chris Woakes and the new boy Jofra Archer seem genuinely unaffected by what’s gone before, though Archer may be facing exhaustion issues of a different type if 44 overs per Test becomes the norm.ALSO READ: Archer could be the weapon that turns the series – Root“It was a dogged hundred,” Stokes admitted of an innings in which his first fifty came from 106 balls, a notch below that post-Bristol strike-rate. “I’m proud of how I managed to get through from not feeling great to playing my shots. That comes from experience and knowing all kinds of situations, Tests, ODIs, just finding a way to get there, keeping an eye on how many overs, how many runs to get us there.””I looked at the score at 60-70 and I had no idea how I was still there,” he added. “I was speaking to Graham Thorpe [the batting coach], saying ‘nothing is working’, and he said ‘just find a way’. I know the bigger picture but sometimes you get annoyed. When it got to the stage where I could start playing my shots, everything felt a bit easier.”And it’s a measure of Stokes’ exhaustive groundwork that, once the time came to flick that switch, with England suddenly 200 runs to the good and scenting an opportunity to square the series with an aggressive declaration, he was able to up the tempo as surely as he had done in the World Cup final, powering Lyon out of the rough for consecutive sweeps for six, before calibrating his angles and options with a thinking-man’s swagger to rattle through to his second fifty from 54 balls.And in doing so, Stokes left a dent in one of Australia’s key weapons in the series. Lyon began the innings level with Dennis Lillee on 355 Test wickets, and ended it on the same number after an admittedly luckless but nevertheless expensive analysis of 26-3-102-0.”We kept out Nathan’s good balls and when we attacked we really committed to doing it,” said Stokes. “He could have had me five or six times to be honest, but I thought attack was the best form of defence by the end because every time I defended one I kept nicking it but finding the gap which was remarkable.”I was running down the wicket and laughing at some points, thinking I can’t be placing it any better. From a five-fer to none for 100 will give our batting unit a lot of confidence, especially on a pretty helpful wicket from spin. Not taking anything away from him, he bowled really well and probably didn’t deserve none for 100.”And as the teams regroup and head for Headingley with the series at an apex, Stokes’ quiet authority begins to take on an altogether new significance, especially if – as anticipated – Smith is deemed unfit to take his place in Australia’s line-up.In case it needs restating, Stokes missed the last Ashes due to those events he’d sooner not remember. He could be about to reach this series’ make-or-break moment as the most prized wicket on either side.

Chris Gayle, Sandeep Lamichhane and Mohammad Shahzad had been due to feature in tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2020The Everest Premier League (EPL), Nepal’s foremost franchise T20 tournament, has been postponed following a government directive to refrain from mass gatherings amid fears about the transmission of COVID-19 (coronavirus).The tournament, initially scheduled to start on March 14, was set to feature Chris Gayle, Sandeep Lamichhane and Mohammad Shahzad. The tournament’s organisers said in a statement that it would be rescheduled for “the closest possible time whenever the situation is favourable”.The has only been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Nepal to date, but given the country’s proximity to China, the health ministry requested that the public suspend all major gatherings to reduce the risk of community spread.ALSO READ: Sickness concern means no handshakes for England in Sri LankaGrowing concerns about the spread of coronavirus has forced sporting events across the globe to review their position including the Tokyo Olympics. Cricket has not been immune, too. The EPL is the second tournament to fall victim to concerns over the outbreak, following a women’s quadrangular T20I series in Thailand that was scheduled to feature Netherlands, Ireland and Zimbabwe.The EPL postponement comes even as cricket is being played in Nepal’s neighbouring countries: India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. On Wednesday, the Sindh provincial government ruled out moving PSL games away from Karachi. The BCCI, too, is yet to issue a directive on the measures it is taking even as the IPL is scheduled to start on March 29.ALSO READ: PSL games to go ahead in Karachi as scheduled amid coronavirus fearsThe EPL organisers, though, have decided it is best to be proactive as cases of people being affected by coronavirus escalates rapidly across the globe. “We are naturally all sad at today’s announcement of having to temporarily postpone the 2020 EPL, but we simply have to put the health and wellbeing of all Nepalis and our overseas players before everything else,” Aamir Akhtar, the competition’s managing director, said.”It was crucial that we announced this decision now at the earliest possible juncture to ensure the minimum possible disruption to all of our stakeholders, who are integral parts of the ongoing success and growth of the league.”We would like to thank the government of Nepal for their support and counsel through this challenging period, and we support entirely the professional advice throughout. I would like to assure that as soon as we are able to go ahead with the 2020 season, we will be working to ensure that it will be the spectacular event the likes of which Nepal has never seen before.”

Number of unsuccessful reviews increased from one to two per innings in the upcoming season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2022Irrespective of whether the batters have crossed or not at the point of a catch being taken, the incoming batter will be on strike, except if the dismissal is on the last ball of an over, in IPL 2022. That, and the number of unsuccessful reviews going up from one – introduced in 2018 – to two per innings are among key updates to the tournament’s playing conditions, put out ahead of the upcoming season, starting March 26.Covid-19 might be perceived as a lesser threat around India at the moment than it was even a few months ago, but there remains a worry that, like was the case with Melbourne Stars and Brisbane Heat at the recent BBL, teams might have a number of players unavailable for a particular match. In that case, where a team has fewer than 12 players available – 11 on the field, of which at least seven must be Indian, and one substitute – for selection, the BCCI, “at its discretion, will attempt to reschedule the match for later in the season”. If, for whatever reason, this is not possible, the matter will be referred to the technical committee of the IPL, and the decision of the committee will be “final and binding”.Related

• IPL 2022 FAQs: Seven-day isolation for positive tests, 25% stadium attendance, two reviews per team

• IPL 2022 big questions – Part II: Will Wade open for Titans? Where do Sunrisers slot in Pooran?

• IPL 2022 big questions – Part I: How do CSK cope without Deepak Chahar? Where does Kohli bat for RCB?

• IPL 2022: Shane Watson joins Delhi Capitals as assistant coach

• Three-day quarantine for teams before entering IPL bubble

Earlier, the rule was that if rescheduling the match was not possible, the franchise unable to field a team would be deemed to have lost the match, and their opponents would win full points.Also, with the number of teams increasing to ten, and the number of matches – including the playoffs – going up from 60 to 74, the BCCI has confirmed that the prize money for the franchises would be paid “based on the final standings and any increments would be adjusted and calculated based on ten teams rather than eight”.The tweak in the law of the game vis-à-vis batters crossing before a catch was taken and, the new batter going to the non-striker’s end, was changed by the MCC earlier this month, but the law comes into effect for international cricket only later this year, in October. The IPL has, however, decided to enforce it straightaway.The decision to change the law came as a result of it being trialled in the Hundred last year, as a way of further rewarding the bowler for taking a wicket.In terms of disciplinary procedures, the BCCI has said that “in the event post of Ombudsman is vacant then the Commission comprising of the members of the IPL Code of Behaviour Committee will step in to the role of Ombudsman”.

Club warns revenues set to fall “significantly”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2020Gloucestershire have become the latest county to cancel the contracts of all their overseas signings, with Qais Ahmad and Andrew Tye’s deals terminated.Ahmad and Tye were due to play for the club during the T20 Blast, with the Afghanistan legspinner also set to appear in the County Championship.The club had previously confirmed that Cheteshwar Pujara’s contract to play the opening rounds of the Championship had been terminated, with all professional cricket in England and Wales currently suspending until July 1 at the earliest.”In order to protect our finances and the club as best we can we have had to sadly terminate our 2020 season contracts with our three overseas players Cheteshwar Pujara, Qais Ahmad and AJ Tye who was due to join the team later in the summer,” said chairman John Hollingdale and CEO Will Brown in a joint statement.ALSO READ: No English cricket until July 1 as season postponed“We know how excited we all were at the prospect of seeing both new and returning faces this year and we’re very sorry that this won’t be possible. The delay to the season, the postponement of the Hundred and the later start of the T20 Blast as well as the aforementioned financial pressures meant it just wasn’t feasible to bring them over in 2020. We would like to thank all three of them for their support and understanding.”In a letter to members and supporters, Hollingdale and Brown warned that the Hundred’s postponement meant the club’s revenue streams “will likely drop significantly well into 2021 before they return to normal”.”ECB monies related to broadcast rights will quite possibly suffer without the new tournament and whilst the ECB are doing all they can to support the game and it’s counties there is a chance this pain may come down to the county network and us as an individual club,” they wrote. “We do, however, remain in a robust position to weather this storm but with the playing and watching of cricket likely to be different from what we’re used to for some time to come.”Last month, the club said it was hopeful that even if no cricket is possible this summer, it expected to break even and “be ready to face the future in a strong financial position when the crisis has passed”. Most of the club’s staff, including players, remain on furlough leave.

The leading wicket-taker in the competition’s history joins Hobart Hurricanes

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2021Two of the WBBL’s leading spinners have moved teams ahead of the 2021-22 season. Molly Strano, the top wicket-taker in the tournament’s history, has left Melbourne Renegades to join Hobart Hurricanes and legspinner Alana King, who was a central figure in Melbourne Stars reaching last year’s final, has signed with Perth Scorchers.For both Strano and King the WBBL moves follow their interstate switches with the pair having joined Tasmania and Western Australia respectively.Offspinner Strano, who was part of the Australia’s T20 World Cup squad last year, is the only bowler with over hundred wickets in the WBBL (104 at 18.74).”I made my decision to come to the Tigers a while ago now, but when it came to deciding where I was going to play my WBBL cricket it was something I had to think long and hard about, and was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” she said.”Moving down to Tassie was a big decision for me, so I decided to embrace the move wholeheartedly, and play for both Tasmanian teams. I’m looking forward to throwing myself in the deep end and learn what I can from this new environment, and I’m really excited for this next chapter of my cricketing career.”Meanwhile, King will now be playing for the side she had a huge role in putting out of last year’s WBBL in the semi-finals where she claimed 3 for 16 in the semi-final – taking out the powerhouse top three of Sophie Devine, Beth Mooney and Amy Jones – while she also showed her power with the bat down the order striking at 187.87 during the season.”Last season we saw first-hand the influence she can have on a match, her wrist spin can change a game while her power with the bat can swing momentum at the end of an innings too,” Scorchers head coach Shelley Nitschke said.The Scorchers also confirmed that Devine, who has been player of the tournament in the last two seasons, will return to the club. It gives them a very strong-looking top order alongside Mooney and Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu.