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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.

CEO Richard Gould hopes tournament can follow trend in other UK women’s sports

Matt Roller16-Jun-2025Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, has set a target to sell out a women’s match in the Hundred as the governing body contemplates “de-coupling” some of the tournament’s double-headers.The Hundred’s existing double-header model sees midweek women’s fixtures played during working hours, with tickets valid for both games on a single day. There are no plans to increase the Hundred’s 27-day window, but some double-headers could be split across two separate days in future seasons to maximise revenue from ticket sales.The Hundred launched with a standalone women’s match between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals in 2021, with the men’s match played the following night. It has operated with a double-header model ever since, and every matchday this season will see a women’s fixture followed by the same men’s fixture at the same venue.”The double-headers have been working well,” Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “At some point, we would like to try and find a way that we can have standalone fixtures, perhaps, for men and women. Getting to a capacity crowd for a women’s Hundred fixture at some point in the next couple of years has to be a target for us.”The window is fixed, a 27-day, exclusive window… Within that window, if you get to the point where you can de-couple games, it’s really demonstrating the commercial growth of the women’s game, into which we’re investing a huge amount at the ECB. That’s definitely a potential target.”The double-header model was initially the result of logistical problems posed by the Covid pandemic, with the majority of women’s fixtures originally slated for smaller county grounds. However, it has proved successful across the Hundred’s first four years, with a record total attendance of 320,000 at women’s matches last season.Richard Gould remains confident that negotiations with the Hundred’s equity partners are ‘at a good state of play’•John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

Splitting double-headers into separate matchdays without expanding the duration would create some scheduling complications. “We need to work through that, but that may be a thing depending on what the broadcaster wants and what days we’re playing on,” Gould said. “If you can have eight sell-outs, rather than four…”Ticket sales for women’s cricket in England and Wales have surged in recent years. England’s women have attracted total attendances in excess of 100,000 for the past two home summers, and next year’s T20 World Cup will be played at major international venues including Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston and Emirates Old Trafford.That growth reflects a similar trend in other sports. Arsenal’s women attracted an average attendance of nearly 30,000 in the Women’s Super League this year and will play all their home fixtures at the Emirates Stadium next season, while the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup in England will break attendance records.Gould also confirmed that the ECB intend to create “the cleanest windows we possibly can” for the Hundred in the next Future Tours Programme by minimising overlap with England’s fixture list. Avoiding direct clashes would enable better availability for England’s Test players, though a scheduling crunch looms in 2028 due to the T20 cricket events at the Los Angeles Olympics.Stakes in the eight Hundred teams are being sold to private investors, with the drawn-out process in its final stages. Gould conceded that it has taken “longer than we thought” to complete the relevant paperwork, but said that the delay has been “time really well spent” and has helped the ECB “understand the ambition” of the new investors.Related

• Hundred squads face 2026 'reset' in bid for competitive balance

• Two remaining Hundred deals 'on track' after six new investors finalise terms

• Birmingham Phoenix complete £40 million equity sale with Knighthead Capital

• Eoin Morgan appointed to London Spirit board of directors

• Welsh Fire secured by Washington Freedom owners in £67.5 million valuation

Investors need to sign shareholder agreements with their respective host clubs but the ‘participation agreement’ with the ECB has been the main source of the delay. “It is about the ‘what ifs’,” Gould said. “I hate to think how many sets of lawyers are in on this, but that’s what they’re paid to do: ‘What if this happens?’ and ‘What if that happens?'”It is a good state of play. The investors are investing heavily, and therefore they want clarity on all sorts of details… We’re doing it up front now so that when everything is signed, we will be off and running in a much better state, knowing where responsibility sits between stakeholders, investors, and the governing body.”Discussions have also taken place around future broadcast contracts for the Hundred, with UK rights currently ‘bundled’ with the rights to show England’s home international fixtures. “The expectation for the next cycle is that we will do that again,” Gould said. “There’s an opportunity to unbundle thereafter, but there will be really good grown-up conversations as to what’s best for the sport.”Gould insisted there is no immediate prospect of any investor walking away: “No, not at the moment,” he said. “But we don’t take anything for granted, because that’s not a clever place to be.”Sanjay Govil, the incoming co-owner of Welsh Fire, has already expressed his preference for the Hundred to become a T20 competition. “That’s a discussion that we’ve parked until their arrival,” Gould said. “It’s a decision that actually sits with the ECB board. There may be recommendations that come forward at some point but it’s not [being discussed] right now.”

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.

Bengal eliminated in Super Over while Rajasthan, Kerala and Gujarat perish in quarter-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2021
Super over
Ritwik Roy Chowdhury’s unbeaten 18-ball 36 went in vain for Bengal as Karnataka’s Manish Pandey effected a final-ball run out in the second quarter-final to take the game into a Super Over when the scores were level. In the Super Over, Bengal capitulated to lose their two wickets for only five runs, which Karnataka surpassed easily to secure their place in the semi-final.Chasing 161, Bengal started their innings with 20 off the first over, but slowed down as Shreevats Goswami, Abhishek Das and Sudip Chatterjee fell inside the powerplay. Writtick Chatterjee, the No. 3, then scored 51 in 40 balls, but his dismissal – along with the wickets of Kaif Ahmed and Shahbaz Ahmed – brought Karnataka back into the contest.

Semi-final line-up

• 1st semi-final: Tamil Nadu vs Hyderabad, November 20, Delhi
  2nd semi-final: Karnataka vs Vidarbha, November 20, Delhi

However, Roy Chowdhury nearly won Bengal the match when they needed 20 to win off the final over off seamer Vidyadhar Patil. Roy Chowdhury started the over with two sixes followed by a single, after which No. 9 Akash Deep hit a four and ran a double to bring the equation to one run off one ball. But, Deep was run out trying to pinch a single off the final ball courtesy Pandey’s direct hit.In the Super Over, Roy Chowdhury was stranded at the non-striker’s end, facing zero balls. Kaif was out for a duck, and Goswami was run-out for 5 while trying to pinch a second run. Pandey took just two balls to chase the target down and ended the game with a six over midwicket.That Bengal had to chase 161 was courtesy Karun Nair’s unbeaten 55 off just 29 balls. Karnataka’s scoring rate hovered around six for most of the innings, but they accelerated towards the death overs. Nair hit three sixes and four fours and the late boost was provided by Abhinav Manohar, who scored 19 off nine balls, and Aniruddha Joshi, who scored 16 off 10.Sanjay Yadav’s 32 off 22 and a nine-ball unbeaten 19 in the death from Shahrukh Khan sealed a chase of 182 for defending champions Tamil Nadu in the first quarter-final against Kerala, with three balls to spare.TN needed exactly 50 from the last five overs, and Sanjay and Shahrukh struck a combined three sixes and a four in the next three overs to bring the equation down to a more comfortable 14 off 12 and later four off the last over.Sai Sudharsan top-scored for them, hitting seven fours in his 31-ball 46, and there were handy contributions from Hari Nishaanth (32 of 22) and captain Vijay Shankar (33 off 26) as well.Although Kerala’s left-arm seamer Unnikrishnan Manukrishnan took 3 for 26, he did not find support from his team-mates.Kerala’s innings began with a 45-run opening stand between Rohan Kunnummal (51) and Mohammed Azharuddeen. Kunnummal added another 46 for the second wicket with Sachin Baby (33), but two wickets at the score of 91 off Sanjay’s left-arm spin jolted Kerala as they lost captain Sanju Samson for a duck.No. 5 Vishnu Vinod then smacked an unbeaten 65 off just 26 balls, at a strike rate of 250. In the last three overs, Kerala smashed 62 runs – featuring seven sixes and a four – to reach 181 for 4, but the late rally wasn’t enough.File photo: Former Under-19 batter Tilak Varma impressed for Hyderabad once again•ICC via Getty

After Tilak Varma cracked a 50-ball 75 to take Hyderabad to 158, their bowlers rallied to restrict Gujarat to 128 and seal a semi-final spot in the fourth quarter-final. Ravi Teja, the right-arm seamer, was Hyderabad’s standout bowler with three wickets for 27 runs while left-arm seamer Chama Milind took two wickets for 28.It was the two early wickets from Milind and Teja that rocked Gujarat’s chase. Saurav Chauhan was then run-out for 9 to leave Gujarat reeling at 33 for 3 after eight overs. Although Het Patel (25), Piyush Chawla (25) and Ripal Patel (35) contributed from the lower-middle order, the slow scoring rate in the first eight overs meant Gujarat were hardly in control of the chase.For Hyderabad, Tilak – the team’s most consistent batter this season so far – hit five fours and two sixes for a strike rate of 150. He was supported by captain and opener Tanmay Agarwal’s 21-ball 31. The death-overs fireworks were provided by Rahul Buddhi, whose unbeaten 16-ball 25 took Hyderabad past 150.Vidarbha’s well-rounded bowling attack rattled Rajasthan in the morning game and secured their semi-final spot with a comfortable nine-wicket win in the third quarter-final. Ambidextrous spinner Akshay Karnewar’s four overs for only seven runs strangled Rajasthan after they were 18 for 5 inside the powerplay.Rajasthan’s recovery was slow and they managed only 84 for 8. Thirty-nine of those came off Kamlesh Nagarkoti’s bat from No. 5, as he stayed unbeaten. Only two other Rajasthan batters – Mahipal Lomror and wicketkeeper Suraj Ahuja could score in double digits.The eight wickets that Vidarbha took were shared by every bowler, with right-arm seamer Yash Thakur taking two and the rest collecting one each. No Vidarbha bowler had an economy of more than six an over.Rajasthan gave the new ball to Ravi Bishnoi, but he had a wicketless run as Vidarbha openers Atharva Taide (40*) and Ganesh Satish (28) put on a 63-run stand. Vidarbha captain and No. 3 Akshay Wadkar and Taide then finished the game off with 31 balls to spare.

The losing team will have to depend on other results going in their favour

S Rajesh10-May-2023

Rajasthan Royals

Kolkata Knight Riders

Both Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders are identically placed with 10 points from 11 games, but in terms of momentum, they are at very different places in their campaigns. Royals have lost five of their last six matches; Knight Riders have won three of their last four.Also, both were involved in last-ball finishes in their most recent game, but while Royals made a mess of a match they should have definitely won against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Knight Riders came through in a tough chase against Punjab Kings.Whichever team loses on Thursday will be up against it, as they can finish only on a maximum of 14 points. That will leave them depending on several other results, for as many as eight teams can finish on 14 or more points, including four on 16 or more. Thus, the team losing this game will be at the mercy of several other results going in their favour.Even with 16 points (wins in each of their three remaining games), qualification isn’t assured for either of these teams, because progress could still come down to net run rates. If it does come down to that, Royals are better placed with a relatively healthy value so far, but for it to be of consequence, they will have to start adding to their points tally as well.Though Royals have the better NRR, Knight Riders have the advantage of two home games in hand, compared to just one for Royals. Neither team has made good use of home conditions, though – Knight Riders have won two of five, and Royals two of six – so Royals might actually be relieved to be playing away from home.For both teams, it is that stage of the tournament when any further slip-up could result in elimination.

Next summer’s ninth edition of the Big Bash League may be pushed back to start as late as Boxing Day

Daniel Brettig22-Jan-2019Next summer’s ninth edition of the Big Bash League may be pushed back to start as late as Boxing Day, while Cricket Australia is also considering a shift of the limited-overs domestic competition away from the early season carnival format it has occupied since 2013.Amid a season in which players, broadcasters and the Australian public have been forced to make some large adjustments, particularly for the major increase in the length of the BBL from 43 games to a full 59-game home and away schedule, ESPNcricinfo understands the governing body is considering numerous tweaks to the calendar for 2019-20.Though CA and the broadcasters Seven and Fox Cricket are wholly committed to the full home and away BBL format, there has been discussion of whether to move the starting point of the tournament to later in the summer, packing more games into January before building up to the mid-February finals series that is being tried for the first time in 2018-19.Such a move would follow common complaints by BBL teams and state associations that the pre-Christmas landscape is a challenging one for attracting supporters relative to the January school holiday period. Previous discussions of BBL matches being scheduled on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day led to two matches being scheduled on December 24 this tournament, but the BBL chief Kim McConnie has always made clear that organisers were learning what works and what does not as they go along.”We don’t [have set expectations]. It’s the first time we’ve ever done it,” she told in December. “The beauty of the Big Bash is it paves the way in many areas. We like the idea of ‘we’re going to try and see and learn along the way’. We don’t have any expectations other than learning on what works and doesn’t work.”At the same time, CA is considering a move away from the September-October carnival format for the domestic 50-over tournament for the first time in six years. That move, made in 2013 at the start of the previous broadcast deal cut with the Nine and Ten networks, squeezed the premier state-based white-ball competition into a few weeks, in a marked departure from the traditional format that had Sheffield Shield and limited-overs games interspersed evenly across the season.A shift back to scheduling state matches of either format during the months now occupied by the BBL appears close to impossible, but moving the domestic limited-overs tournament into shared windows with the two halves of the Shield rounds would allow players, coaches and selectors the chance to make assessments of their white-ball skills in a far more expansive way across a season than is currently the case.After Australia won the World Cup at home in 2015, the decline in the national team’s 50-over fortunes has coincided with the continuation of the tournament format, which was adopted for reasons including its closer resemblance to an ICC event and also the easier task it created for physical management of fast bowlers in particular over the course of a season.Pat Howard, the former team performance manager, was a noted advocate of the carnival format, which has divided opinion amongst players throughout. This season saw a trade-off between the abandonment of the experimental inclusion of a CA XI for younger players in the tournament with a format that meant that every team would play in the play-off matches, regardless of how many qualifying matches they won.Howard’s departure, alongside that of the former chief executive James Sutherland, is believed to have helped open up broader discussion about the state competition, even as the tighter tournament structure continues to have numerous vocal advocates within the system. Other factors in decision-making will also include logistical concerns for state teams and the preferences of Fox Cricket for broadcasting the 50-over tournament.

Fifties for Beaumont, Lamb and Sciver make South Africa toil despite Kapp 73

Firdose Moonda15-Jul-2022Sophia Dunkley, promoted to No.3 in this series, scored her first ODI hundred to seal the series for England, with a game to spare. Dunkley’s three-figure knock, along with fifty-plus scores from the other three in the top four, gave England their second-highest total against South Africa, and asked their visitors to complete their highest-successful ODI chase to draw level in the three-match rubber. Despite Laura Wolvaardt’s fastest half-century in the format, the South African line-up lacked substantial partnerships and fell far short.England’s batters have dominated the contest so far and, on a good run-scoring surface in Bristol, inflicted more pain on a side they beat here in the World Cup semi-final five years ago, almost to the day. England had century-stands for first and third wickets, both the third-highest in their respective positions for England against South Africa which book-ended their innings and finished with 105 runs in the last 10 overs and 46 in the final five.They took advantage of another lacklustre performance from the South African attack who, even with pace spearhead Shabnim Ismail back, lacked intensity and control. Ismail (too full) and Kapp (too wide) struggled to find their lines and lengths and with the seniors struggling, the rest of the attack could only apply pressure in patches. They prevented England from breaching the boundary between the 21st and 34th over but allowed them to score freely on either side of that squeeze.England’s new opening pair, Tammy Beaumont and Emma Lamb laid the foundation with the team’s first century stand since December 2019. They were prolific on the offside, with the cut through point making several appearances, and raced to 58 without loss after the Powerplay and 93 at the first drinks’ break.Desperate for a breakthrough, South Africa reviewed an lbw shot against Beaumont off left-arm Nonkululeko Mlaba. It was a poor referral and ball-tracking confirmed it was missing leg stump by a distance. Beaumont was on 41 at the time, and the dominant partner in the stand with Lamb, who then shifted gears.Lamb cut Mlaba through backward point to bring up fifty off 54 balls, a strong follow-up from her century on Monday, and then made room for herself to hit de Klerk over midwicket, through point and drag Mlaba over the in-field to surge ahead of Beaumont. Her eyes lit up when South Africa introduced their sixth bowler, Chloe Tryon, whose second ball was a loopy full-toss. Lamb swept but top-edged to Mlaba at short-fine leg to give South Africa some reprieve.South Africa took the opportunity to quiet England after that dismissal and had an opportunity against Beaumont when she scooped Kapp straight to mid-on but Mlaba spilt a simple chance. By then, Beaumont was on 52 and the drop could have proved costly but Beaumont developed cramp in her hand and three overs later, chipped Tryon to Ismail at mid-off.Issy Wong bowled with pace and penetration on her ODI debut•Getty Images

Just as South Africa gained some ground, Dunkley redirected the innings by hitting Ayabonga Khaka for back-to-back fours. England entered the last 10 overs on 232 for 2. Dunkley brought up her fifty off the 61st ball she faced and there was no stopping her from there. She took 16 runs off Ismail’s eighth over, reached her century off 87 balls and ensured England had a match-winning score.If they doubted that, it was only for 14.2 overs that Wolvaardt threatened. With two debuts in the XI, Lauren Bell and Issy Wong, Heather Knight chose to use Nat Sciver to open the bowling and her first four overs cost 32. Wolvaardt 21 runs off 12 deliveries she faced from Sciver, most of them full but one so short she pulled through mid-wicket. South Africa had a better Powerplay than England and scored 67 and Wolvaardt brought up 50 off 41 balls and an epic contest was brewing. But Wolvaardt’s 87-run stand with Andrie Steyn ended when she tried to clear the in-field off Charlie Dean and picked out Wong at mid-on.South Africa lost their next five wickets for 51 runs, including three to Wong. She had Lara Goodall caught at mid-on, Tryon caught behind and Nadine de Klerk caught by a diving Sciver at short cover. Ironically, the short ball that failed South Africa worked well for Wong.Kapp scored 50 off 46 balls, her 10th in ODIs, but had scant support. She was dismissed for 73 as South Africa entered the last 10 overs on 223 for 8, only nine behind where England were at the same stage, but six wickets adrift and with little chance of even batting out their overs. They were bowled out in 41 overs. Dean finished with the third four-fer of her career.

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.”

Former India allrounder leaves the job after only four months

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2022Former India allrounder Manoj Prabhakar has stepped down as the head coach of the Nepal men’s national team, the country’s cricket board said in a statement. He had been appointed to the role in August this year.Prabhakar only worked five T20Is and seven ODIs with Nepal, including four matches in the World Cup Super League 2.Related

• Lamichhane taken into custody upon landing at Kathmandu airport

• Nepal awarded five penalty runs after UAE's Sharafu uses saliva to shine the ball

Nepal had a successful tour of Kenya under Prabkhakar, winning a five-match T20I series 3-2 and then sweeping the one-dayers 3-0. A 2-1 home ODI series win against UAE followed in November.In the World Cup Super League, they suffered two defeats to Scotland and one to Namibia, with their other game against Namibia ending in a no result.Nepal currently sit second from bottom in the World Cup Super League 2 table, with just eight wins from 24 matches.A bowling allrounder, Prabhakar played 39 Test matches and 130 ODIs for India. He has coached the Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh teams, and was the bowling coach of Delhi when they won the Ranji Trophy in 2008. Prabhakar has also worked with Afghanistan when he joined them as their bowling coach in 2015, continuing on to the 2016 T20 World Cup.