England blood new players for Australia series but selector Wright says old guard could earn recalls

Matt Roller27-Aug-2024England will consider Joe Root and Ben Stokes for their 2025 Champions Trophy squad despite neither playing a 50-over match since last year’s World Cup. Root (rested) and Stokes (injured) are not involved in September’s five-match ODI series against Australia, and will both miss November’s tour to West Indies due to England’s Test tours to Pakistan and New Zealand.The Champions Trophy will begin in mid-February in Pakistan, with England due to play three ODIs in India at the start of that month as preparation. Those fixtures will be the only opportunities that Root, Stokes and other all-format players like Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have to play 50-over cricket before the tournament.”We’ll want to be as strong as possible,” Luke Wright, England’s selector, said at Lord’s on Tuesday. “There’s no Test cricket around at that point, so it gives us an opportunity to play our strongest team. The schedule over this next period up until Christmas is crazy, so there will be opportunities for guys to stake their claim. But come the Champions Trophy, we will be able to pick our strongest side.”Root (Paarl Royals) and Stokes (MI Cape Town) have both signed up for the SA20, which runs from January 9 until February 8. They are both likely to miss January’s T20I series in India but will arrive for the ODIs – which start on February 6 – if they are selected.Root struggled for form at the World Cup after hardly playing 50-over cricket in the build-up, averaging 30.66 as England crashed out with three wins in nine group-stage games. He will face a similar challenge at the Champions Trophy but Wright defended the decision to rest him against Australia, saying England have “asked a lot of Joe” across his international career.”He’s given a lot to English cricket,” Wright said. “There’s no reason why he can’t then come into the major tournaments… we know how important Joe is to the England team. He also offers us [something] with the ball as well, and there’s not many that do that… With someone like Joe, we’ve got to look after him, we don’t want him to burn out.”On the difficulties of adjusting to a format that English players hardly play, Wright said: “It’s a challenge for everyone, isn’t it? And even more so for us in England… Those top players are able to adapt as well as possible, as I don’t think it’s as big a problem for them as it would be for some of the others. That’s why it’s great to get that cricket into some of the younger guys.”Related

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England have dropped Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow from both their T20I and ODI squads, though Wright denied that their international careers are now over. “They’re disappointed to miss out,” he said. “I certainly won’t be saying that that’s the end for them. They’re fine cricketers, but right now, we just want to give some other opportunities.”They have picked three uncapped players for September’s Australia ODIs – Jacob Bethell, Josh Hull and John Turner. “It’s nice for guys to get 50-over cricket under their belts: we don’t play much of it,” Wright said. “I don’t decide the schedule so I’ve just got to make the best of what we can and we try to do that, but also try to make sure we’re looking after players’ welfare.”Jos Buttler has retained the captaincy despite England losing their status as world champions in both white-ball formats in the past 10 months, with Matthew Mott instead paying the price. Buttler is under pressure heading into September’s series, and looks set to hand the gloves to Phil Salt during the three T20Is – though is likely to keep wicket in the five ODIs.Buttler kept wicket at June’s T20 World Cup, but may field at mid-off to be near his bowlers in the absence of Moeen and Chris Jordan. “It is something that he’s considering,” Wright said. “It’s something he’s open to. He’s spoken about that before, the need to be in the field and be with the bowlers at times. It’s something that could easily happen in this Australia series.”Among Buttler’s biggest challenges is to restore some energy to the white-ball set-up, after two disappointing World Cup campaigns. “I wouldn’t say [things have been] stale,” Wright said. “Those guys have given us some of the best times we’ve had in white-ball cricket. It’s life… It’s a great time now: without a World Cup just round the corner as there hasn’t been for a while is an opportunity to blood some new players.”England have generally stuck to the tried and tested in white-ball cricket but September’s squad represents a shake-up. “We haven’t needed to [take risks in selection] with the white-ball team,” Wright said. “They’ve been one of the outstanding teams. We’re very lucky to have had that team for such a long time.”Now feels like the right time to have a few more picks in there, and look probably for the future as well. It’s an exciting time for everyone to watch and see how that builds going forward.”

Ben Duckett struck his second ODI hundred but England collapsed in Bristol and couldn’t contain the visitors’ top order

Andrew McGlashan29-Sep-2024A power-packed powerplay by Travis Head and Matthew Short, followed by astute batting by stand-in captain Steven Smith, ensured Australia beat the rain and England in the nick of time to take the one-day series in Bristol on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern. For the second time in the five matches, their spinners engineering a collapse, including a career-best for Head, after Ben Duckett’s second ODI hundred alongside a Harry Brook onslaught had put the home side on track for a huge total.Australia’s chase was never going to be about 310 in 50 overs – the 20-over DLS, which moved with wickets lost, was the vital figure. The visitors clearly knew the sums and after a watchful first three overs, Head and Short cut loose as 62 came off the next four. Being 100 for 1 after 10 overs put them so far ahead they had breathing space for the loss of a couple of wickets.Brydon Carse struck first ball to remove Head and Short edged behind after a 23-ball maiden ODI fifty. But Smith, who successfully reviewed being given lbw to Matthew Potts on 10, and Josh Inglis ensured against further setbacks although England missed reviewing for an edge off Inglis at 122 for 2 in the 15th. However, England needed more than one further breakthrough given Australia’s flying start and the tactics became clear when Brook returned to all pace instead of Adil Rashid on a pitch assisting spin (and Potts suddenly realised he needed a new boot).The rain, which had initially arrived during the interval, then returned four balls after a result had been assured with a DLS of 116 for 2. Australia didn’t entirely defend their way there as the weather closed in a little more slowly than first looked likely: Inglis pulled consecutive sixes off Carse in the 20th over. In normal circumstances, Rashid and England’s other spinners might have turned the game around but Australia were good value for victory given the way they fought back in the field.Ben Duckett capped a strong series with a fine century•AFP

Like at Trent Bridge, it was a game that fell away for England from a very strong batting foundation. A ferocious stand of 132 off 98 balls between Duckett and Brook brought up their 200 in the 25th over but from the moment Brook fell to Zampa the innings fell away with the final collapse being 107 for 8. Smith used 23 consecutive overs of spin and 28 off the last 29 in total.After 2.2 overs Zampa’s figures read 0 for 42 but he became a significant threat on a dry surface that offered increasing help to the spinners. Head winkled out a List A best of 4 for 28, including the key scalp of Duckett for a 91-ball 107, the highlight of which had been how quickly he picked up length against the quicks early on, a trademark of his batting during a productive home summer. Yet such was the change of momentum that England only hit one boundary between the 27th and 43rd overs. The 194 balls of spin was a record for Australia in a men’s ODI.At the end of a tour marked by illness and injury they had again been forced to shuffle their pack after Marsh pulled up sore after Lord’s where he bowled for the first time since early April. Aaron Hardie also replaced Sean Abbott and Cooper Connolly was handed an ODI debut. Speaking on TV before the game, Ricky Ponting said Australia would rate a series win very highly given the challenges within the squad.Phil Salt set the tone in the opening over which included three boundaries off Mitchell Starc and two plays and misses. It meant, at that moment, Starc’s last two overs of the series had cost 40 following his pasting at the hands of Liam Livingstone at Lord’s. Salt continued to alternate between missing and connecting, outside edging a swish over deep third for six against Starc before a brace of far more convincing sixes against Hardie’s first two deliveries which brought up England’s fifty in the seventh over.But Hardie struck back. Firstly, he had Salt well taken at deep point by Marnus Labuschagne, the ball after adjusting the field, then produced a gem of a delivery to clean up Will Jacks for a duck. There were a few overs of consolidation from England before Brook scooped his first boundary off Josh Hazlewood from his ninth delivery then he continued the team’s approach of being aggressive to Zampa by ending his first over with a four and six; a delightful late cut which drew comparisons to Mahela Jayawardene by Eoin Morgan on commentary then a blow to the short, straight boundary.Adam Zampa started poorly but went on to induce a collapse•Getty Images

Much more was to come from Brook when he took three further sixes from Zampa’s second over leaving Smith searching for options. Duckett went to his fifty from 45 balls and Brook raced to the mark from 39 with another six over the leg side against Hardie. Brook took his sixes tally to seven with another back-to-back brace off Zampa when he returned for the start of his second spell and had the attack at his mercy.But then came a break for Australia when Brook miscued Zampa down the ground and found Glenn Maxwell at long-off. Maxwell continued to do an excellent job with the ball, finding significant grip from the surface, and pushed one through Jamie Smith. Zampa then found Livingstone’s top edge with one that turned and bounced and all of a sudden, the lower middle-order was exposed.The onus was on Duckett to try and guide the remainder of the innings as he brought up an outstanding century. Both he and Jacob Bethell held themselves back for a period, but after sending Head’s third ball over long-on Duckett tried a repeat and skewed a catch to long-off which meant Carse was walking in during the 34th over.Head then turned deliveries sharply to have Bethell stumped and Carse lbw, leaving Rashid to nurse the total towards 300, but eyes were already turning to the sky and Australia flicked successfully into T20 mode to earn the spoils.

His 90 underpins 361 first-innings as Glamorgan move to 12 without loss in reply

ECB Reporters Network17-Sep-2024Promotion-chasing Yorkshire worked their way into a strong position after the first day against Glamorgan, George Hill the mainstay with 90 as they finished on 361 all out.Second placed Yorkshire were chasing batting points and had to settle for three after being put in to bat first.Hill went on to get the big score, getting out with only a handful of overs left at the end of the day, while no fewer than four other batsmen got more than 40 without going on to make the most of their starts.Glamorgan’s top bowler was Andy Gorvin with 4 for 67 as he was able to extract some seam movement, Timm van der Gugten getting reward for his efforts with two wickets late in the day to keep the Yorkshire innings within reach. Glamorgan survived two overs before the close, 12 without loss.Yorkshire made steady progress with a bright day ahead and no terrors in the Sophia Gardens pitch after early cloud cover lifted.
The story of the early part of the day was batters who got in and then got out when seemingly set for a bigger score, a trend started by opening partnership Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean.Lyth passed 1,000 runs in the season for the fifth time of his career, as the pair put on 67 for the opening wicket before both departing in similar style.The unlikely Glamorgan spearhead was the medium-fast bowling of Gorvin, twice getting the ball to straighten to trap the left handers in front of the wicket to depart lbw.James Wharton looked assured on his way to 63, so much so that it came as quite a surprise when he hooked James Harris straight to long leg to be caught by van der Gugten.Jonny Bairstow was on Yorkshire duty having been left out of the England one-day squad, back at his home ground in The Hundred where he plays for Welsh Fire. He did not hang around and provided Gorvin with his third wicket, waving the ball to backward point from a loose drive, caught by Ben Kellaway.Glamorgan’s fifth wicket came with a substantial slice of luck. Leg-spinner Mason Crane sent a long hop down the leg side, which somehow went from the edge of Jonathan Tattersall’s bat to be clutched in his belly by home wicketkeeper Chris Cooke.The skipper was more than a little disappointed to have missed out on a bigger score, departing for 41.Crane was particularly expensive as Hill and Dom Bess eased any Yorkshire nerves with a century stand, before Bess was lbw trying to sweep Crane to depart just after reaching his half-century.Hill made the most of recent good form coming into the game despite falling narrowly short of a deserved century, van der Gugten getting his second wicket with the second new ball.Glamorgan openers Sam Northeast and Asa Tribe survived the last two overs of the day.

None of Konstas, Bancroft and Harris could make a significant score as Australia A chased 225

Andrew McGlashan02-Nov-2024It may partly be a case of last-man standing, but Ricky Ponting has endorsed Nathan McSweeney to fill the vacancy at the top of Australia’s Test line-up on a day where he impressed again in Mackay, while the specialist opening contenders continued to falter against India A.Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris all made starts in a chase of 225 on a tricky pitch, but couldn’t convert them into big scores to leave plenty of uncertainty for the senior side heading into the second match in Melbourne next week. McSweeney, meanwhile, played positively from No. 4 at the start of his innings, and was unbeaten on 47 at the close, with Australia A just 86 runs away from their target while having seven wickets in hand.Konstas played some neat shots through the off side before shouldering arms to a delivery from Mukesh Kumar that nipped back sharply, and sent the off stump cartwheeling. As Australia coach Andrew McDonald had mentioned last week, Ponting referenced Konstas’ lack of experience of the Test venues in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane, where he has never played first-class cricket, in explaining why he had changed his view, having previously backed a call-up for Konstas.Related

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“I thought a bit more about it, and he is so young and he has probably not even played on grounds like Optus Stadium or at the Gabba,” Ponting told the show. “He wouldn’t have played a pink-ball [match] at Adelaide Oval either. So there’s a lot of things that stack up against the young guy, although there’s no doubt that he’s got talent.”Another thing that I’d said then was that I don’t think they’d go back to a [Cameron] Bancroft or [Marcus] Harris – because if they’re willing to do that, they would’ve done it the last year.”So the only name left for me more or less is Nathan McSweeney… he got the most out of any of those guys from the A game in Australia at the moment. And he’s more experienced. He has captained Australia A in the past, and he’s captaining them now. So I’m leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer.”Ahead of the ongoing game against India A, McSweeney had said he felt his game could adapt to opening, and heading into the fourth day, he has now faced over 200 deliveries in a contest where the ball has held sway for long periods.After batting conditions eased against an older ball on Friday, bowlers again dominated at the Great Barrier Reef Arena. India A lost their last eight wickets for 86 runs following a stand of 196 between Sai Sudharsan, who made his seventh first-class hundred, and Devdutt Padikkal.Sai Sudharsan brought up his seventh first-class century early on day three•Getty Images

The new ball was a threat when Australia A set out on their chase. Bancroft, who had received a rough decision in the first innings when he was given caught off the thigh pad, had a huge stroke of fortune when he was taken at slip on 4 off Navdeep Saini, but it turned out to be a no-ball. Bancroft, though, couldn’t make the most of it even as he reached double figures for the first time in six innings in first-class cricket this season.However, the delivery which Bancroft received to be eventually dismissed by Prasidh Krishna was an excellent one – a sharp lifter which he fended into gully. It was the sort of delivery which suggested Prasidh could be a threat during the Test series on pitches that are likely to have more pace than Mackay.Harris, meanwhile, had shaped up promisingly in testing conditions with a brace of drives off Saini suggesting he was gaining in confidence. But playing forward to left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who was finding some turn, he got a thin outside edge to one which went straight on.Earlier in the day, it had been offspinner Todd Murphy who broke the game open for Australia A. He had Sudharsan dragging on shortly just after he reached a stylish century, and then added Padikkal for 88 lbw with a slider shortly before the new ball.The hosts were a fast bowler down due a side strain picked up by Jordan Buckingham, but the remaining quicks carried the extra burden. Fergus O’Neill collected three more wickets on day three after one on day two, including the crucial one of Ishan Kishan, who poked to second slip the ball after hooking him for six.Beau Webster took a sharp return catch to remove Nitish Kumar Reddy from a full toss, and Murphy closed out the innings with a deserving third wicket.

He will be replaced in the squad by fast bowler Kwena Maphaka

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2024In a huge blow for South Africa, fast bowler Gerald Coetzee has been ruled out of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha as well as the upcoming all-format series against Pakistan, due to a groin injury.Coetzee, who picked up the injury while bowling on day four of the Durban Test against Sri Lanka, is expected to be out for up to six weeks after scans revealed a muscle strain in his right groin. He will be replaced in the squad by fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, who made his international debut earlier this year in the T20Is against West Indies.Coetzee bowled in the morning session of the Durban Test on Saturday, beginning proceedings with Kagiso Rabada, but stopped after a three-over spell. His second spell of the morning was off just two overs, as Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal staged a spirited fightback for Sri Lanka after they had started the day five down and looking at a bigger defeat than they eventually suffered. Coetzee didn’t bowl again after that in the session, but did bowl three overs after lunch, sending back Chandimal caught and bowled.Shukri Conrad, the South Africa coach, said after the day’s play that Coetzee had spoken to him at lunch and told him he “felt a groin niggle”, and went back after the break “strapped up”.Coetzee’s absence adds to South Africa’s injury woes, as they are already without Wiaan Mulder, the fast-bowling allrounder, due to a fractured right middle finger.Two of South Africa’s three quicks that played the Durban Test – Rabada and Player-of-the-Match Marco Jansen – are fit for the second Test, and Dane Paterson is the other quick in the squad. However, Nandre Burger is out for the summer with a lower back stress fracture, while Lungi Ngidi is out till January.South Africa will play Sri Lanka in the second Test at St George’s Park between December 5 and 9. After that, they will host Pakistan for three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests.

After Strikers posted BBL’s second-highest total of 251, D’Arcy Short took 4 for 15 to bowl Heat out for 195

Tristan Lavalette11-Jan-2025Captain Matthew Short returned from a toe injury in spectacular fashion with a blistering century against Brisbane Heat as Adelaide Strikers revived their finals hopes after making the second highest total in BBL history.Sent in to bat on a very flat Adelaide Oval surface, Strikers smashed 251 for 5 highlighted by Short’s 109 off 54 balls after he missed the last three matches. He reached his ton in 49 balls to set a new franchise record.Heat never seriously threatened in the chase and were bowled out for 195 after 20 overs.The result has breathed life into Strikers’ season (three wins in eight games) having entered the match in last position and they moved within striking distance of fourth-placed Heat.Short/Lynn rampage before Carey’s brief knock in season debut There was a lot of anticipation over the season debut of Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who was listed at No.3 but made to wait until almost the ninth over after a destructive 121-run opening partnership between Short and Chris Lynn.During Short’s absence, Lynn moved up to open from three and such was his success that he stayed in the position. He dominated the powerplay and thrashed quicks Michael Neser and Xavier Bartlett, normally so reliable with the new ball.Lynn raced to 42 off 13 balls as Strikers motored to 62 for 0 in the most runs hit by a team in the powerplay this season. Short then took over with two sixes off left-arm quick Spencer Johnson as Strikers moved to 81-0 after five overs.Hogging the strike, Short soon sped past Lynn to reach his half-century off 24 balls. In the first seven overs, Short and Lynn smashed seven sixes while they failed to score off just 11 balls.Matt Short and Chris Lynn turn the crowd into umpires•Getty Images

But Lynn did lose his rhythm and was also ailed by a tight hamstring before being knocked over by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann.Carey finally came to the crease, but only lasted eight deliveries after being bowled by another faster ball from Kuhnemann. He did, however, hit arguably the best shot of the innings after a classy check drive sailed prettily over extra cover and into the crowd.Short was unperturbed as he fittingly reached his ton with a boundary. Travis Head had held Strikers’ previous fastest century with his famous 53-ball ton against Sydney Sixers on New Year’s Eve in 2015.It was a brilliant knock from Short, who has recently opened for Australia in white-ball cricket, marked by staying still at the crease and clean ball striking. He ruthlessly targeted the shorter boundaries on the legside before finally holing out to deep midwicket.Alex Ross clubbed 44 not out from 19 balls at the death to ensure Strikers’ momentum continued.Spinners Kuhnemann, Swepson try their best With their star quicks Neser, Bartlett and Johnson having rare off performances, unable to hit their lengths, spinners Kuhnemann and Swepson took five wickets between them in battling efforts.They weren’t spared, with 91 runs hit off their eight overs, but at least ensured Strikers didn’t reel in the BBL record score of 273 for 2 set by Melbourne Stars three years ago.Kuhnemann, in his first match since being selected to the Test tour of Sri Lanka, got some zip off the surface, while Swepson cleverly mixed up his bowling to be the most economical of the five bowlers used.Debutant quicks face tough initiation, D’Arcy Short takes four wickets On a surface that rivalled some of the unforgiven pitches seen in the IPL, Strikers debutant quicks Liam Haskett and Jordan Buckingham faced a difficult initiation.Haskett impressed last season for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield, but had a delayed start to this summer due to a back injury. The tall left-arm quick was unleashed in the second over, but struggled with his lengths initially and whacked over the legside for successive sixes by Neser.D’Arcy Short finished with 4 for 15•Getty Images

Haskett was later pulled for six by Nathan McSweeney and caught, remarkably, by his father in the terraces. He returned later to dismiss Tom Alsop to finish with 2 for 43 from 3 overs.The 24-year-old Buckingham was given a chance in the BBL having impressed in the Shield in recent seasons. Like almost every other bowler in the match, he copped some punishment but claimed the key wicket of Matthew Renshaw in the 14th over.With bowlers sporting bowling figures that were an eyesore, D’Arcy Short’s handy legspin was used to good effect as numerous Heat batters holed out to him. He finished with 4 for 15 off 3 overs.Munro bats well down the order after injuries in the field Heat’s monumental task was made harder with skipper Colin Munro batting well down the order after dislocating a finger in his left hand and suffering a shoulder injury in a torrid time in the field. He came out at No.7 and made a second ball duck.Neser was promoted to open and ordered to go for broke, but it didn’t do the trick. McSweeney played fluently with several gorgeous drives and he made an attractive 43 off 24 balls.But he was run out attempting a second run as Heat’s slim chances effectively ended despite entertaining cameos from Renshaw, in-form Max Bryant and Johnson, who hit 27 from 13 balls at No.11.

England were bundled out for sub-200 scores in both innings and end the series with a lot to ponder

Alex Malcolm01-Feb-2025These will forever be known as Alana King’s Ashes. Australia’s legspinner delivered another spellbinding performance at the MCG to ensure England were whitewashed 16 points to nil for the first time in the multi-format era after an innings and 122 rout inside three days.King took her maiden Test five-wicket haul, nine for the match and 23 for the series at a 11.17 to equal Ash Gardner’s record haul of 23 scalps in the 2023 Ashes and finish as Player of the Series.Gardner took 4 for 39 to cap a wonderful series. The spin duo bowled 47.4 overs together unchanged to claim the last nine wickets of the match and allow England to start their recriminations a day early.It was a day of celebration for Australia with Beth Mooney earlier becoming just the fourth female and the first Australian to score international centuries in all three formats, making 106 as the hosts piled up 440 and a first innings lead of 270, their second-highest such lead in a women’s Test. Annabel Sutherland was Player of the Match for her 163.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Despite taking four wickets in the first innings, and having multiple chances missed, captain Alyssa Healy oddly waited 22 overs in England’s second innings before throwing King the ball. England had shown some resilience with Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight compiling a half-century stand and looking relatively untroubled after Maia Bouchier had her middle stump flattened by Darcie Brown in the first over to end a miserable tour.But when King and Gardner were finally locked in tandem, they created carnage just as they had done throughout the ODI series. With England 79 for 1, Knight bunted a catch to short leg where Phoebe Litchfield held her second sharp close catch of the match.King then bamboozled Nat Sciver-Brunt for the second time in the match and the fourth time in the series. Sciver-Brunt had spoken after her first innings half-century about wanting to play King off the back foot despite twice being bowled playing back, including on day one for 51.She changed tack in the second, instead pushing forward at every opportunity and sweeping anything pitching outside leg. King forced a leading edge that landed just wide of silly mid-off and then fizzed another past the outside edge, but Sciver-Brunt did well to hold the line.With that set-up, she played for turn on the front foot trying to defend and King got one to skid into her front pad and trap her lbw. Sciver-Brunt took a review with her to underscore how deceived she was.Sophia Dunkley was bowled by a ripping Alana King legbreak•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

King then delivered the ball of the series to Sophia Dunkley. She drifted one outside leg at 72.1kph, ala Shane Warne to Mike Gatting, it dipped and pitched and spun sharply past Dunkley’s forward defence and crashed into the top of off. There was an audible gasp from the 11,804 in attendance when the replay came up on the big screens. It meant Dunkley was in no doubt as to what had happened, unlike Gatting.Danni Wyatt-Hodge avoided falling to King for a fourth time as Sciver-Brunt, instead meekly sweeping Gardner straight to short fine.King’s third and fourth scalps were from arguably her two worst balls. Beaumont dragged on from a non-committal jab at a shorter legbreak wide of off for 47.Ryana MacDonald-Gay had been strangely upbeat in the press conference on the second night, but her mood would surely have shifted after hitting a rank full toss from King straight to deep midwicket.In the midst of those two dismissals, Mooney took an excellent catch off Gardner via a thick deflection from Amy Jones’ outside edge.
Sophie Ecclestone’s bizarre Test match concluded when she top-edged a long-hop from Gardner to midwicket.With both spinners on four wickets each, the race to join Peggy Antonio on Australia’s bowling honours board at the MCG was comical as skied balls and edges somehow evaded fielders hands. Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer faced the most balls ever for a 10th wicket pair in women’s Tests before Filer finally chipped one to catching mid-on.Beth Mooney became the fourth woman to score a century in all three forms•Getty Images

Earlier, Mooney joined Sutherland on the MCG honours board as the second century maker in the Australia’s innings.Having spent the night unbeaten on 98, Mooney looked a bundle of nerves through the first five balls of the day. Ecclestone beat her twice and she nearly caused a mix-up trying to invent a non-existent single. But off the last ball of the over she breathed a huge sigh of relief as Ecclestone dropped short to allow her to punch two off the back foot through point and raise her arms aloft.Thereafter, England finally had a decent hour as they held their catches to reward their bowlers. Ecclestone gave Tahlia McGrath nothing to hit before she skipped out to the wrong line and dragged a catch to mid-on.Filer then cranked up the pace despite having delivered 21 overs on day two. She had Kim Garth caught behind for a third-ball duck and could have easily had Mooney lbw from around the wicket in the next over. Mooney was initially given not out and DRS showed it was umpire’s call on impact in line with off but it was crashing into middle.Mooney’s luck continued five balls later when she gloved down the legside but Amy Jones caught it while part of the ball brushed the ground as it entered her gloves. Filer was finally rewarded when she clattered Mooney’s off stump with the left-hander playing down the wrong line.In between, Ecclestone pinned King lbw for 3 which brought Ellyse Perry to the crease at No.10 for the first time in her career. It was odd that Perry was fit to bat but came in behind Garth and King. But the moment she ran her first runs, a two to wide long-off, it was clear she was in a lot of discomfort with her corked left hip. She chipped a return catch back to Ecclestone to end the innings and unjustly dent her extraordinary Test average.Australia had bizarrely lost 5 for 9 despite their extraordinary batting depth and handed Ecclestone her third Test five-wicket haul, albeit her most expensive ahead of the 5 for 129 she took in the last Ashes Test in Nottingham.

Victory for either side would be a significant step towards the Shield final but NSW could only manage two wickets on the third day

Tristan Lavalette08-Mar-2025Hilton Cartwright and Cameron Bancroft batted through two sessions on day three in an unbroken partnership of 181 to set up an intriguing finish in the pivotal Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and New South Wales.Batting had proven difficult across the first seven sessions on a tricky WACA surface, but the veteran WA batters dug in to turn the match on its head. Cartwright finished 108 not out and Bancroft, playing his 100th Shield match, was unbeaten on 85 from 260 balls as WA reached stumps at 209 for 2 in their second innings and a lead of 144 runs.Related

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Just 0.24 points separated second-placed NSW and WA at the start of the round with a victory for either team putting them in pole position to reach the final. Given the stakes, WA will be eyeing a declaration at some point on the final day although the surface has flattened somewhat as the match has worn on.”It [the partnership] gives us options,” WA coach Adam Voges said. “There’s still some good divots out there. It’s certainly a new-ball wicket. It’s been a real arm-wrestle for three days.”WA quick Lance Morris looms as a key on the final day, but he may be restricted in how many overs he can bowl in NSW’s second innings. He has a restriction of around 30 overs per game to manage his body. Morris took career best figures of 5 for 26 off 20.3 overs in NSW’s first innings.”We were really clear with Cricket Australia around what Lance’s plans look like,” Voges said. “The game demands from Lance what the game demands, but we’re mindful of the overall management plan with him.”After trailing by 65 runs on the first innings, Bancroft and captain Sam Whiteman went about blunting the dangerous new ball combination of Jack Edwards and Jackson Bird with trademark firm defence.They almost got through to lunch until Whiteman was well caught low down in the gully. It was a tricky period for No. 3 Jayden Goodwin and he could do little against a fired-up Liam Hatcher who added a second wicket.Still 37 runs short, WA’s hopes rested with veterans Bancroft and Cartwright. They were pinned down after lunch and scored just one run in five overs as WA crawled to the lead.Cameron Bancroft plays down the ground•Getty Images

But Cartwright broke the shackles with a couple of boundaries off seamer Ryan Hadley and started to find his rhythm with the ball making a lovely sound off his bat. Cartwright has had a strong season with 694 runs at 53.38, but does sometimes fail to kick on from attractive starts.He almost rued another tease of an innings after edging a good length delivery from Edwards on 42. But wicketkeeper Josh Philippe spilt the catch after diving in front of Bird at first slip.Philippe, who moved from WA ahead of the season, and his team-mates were crestfallen in a crucial moment just before tea.Cartwright reached his half-century off 93 balls immediately after the break and Bancroft, who had been shackled through the second session, started to find his touch with his best shot being a six down the ground off spinner Chris Green.Cartwright continued on his merry way with his cover driving a feature as he continually dissected the crowded off-side field with precision.Bancroft had a nervous moment on 61 when he poked Green through the hands of Sam Konstas at short-leg, while Cartwright started to lose concentration as he neared his century. But he composed himself and reached his century just before stumps to cap WA’s turnaround.NSW had started the day’s play with a lead of 62 runs and looked to kick on after Edwards and Green had frustrated WA’s attack late on the previous evening.There was an unknown over whether Morris would bowl again in the innings due to his restriction. Having already bowled 18 overs in the innings, Morris did take the ball early on day three but it was Cameron Gannon who had Green edging to second slip where Bancroft had an uncharacteristic fumble before eventually hanging on.Morris then completed his third five-wicket haul of his first-class career after Sam Fanning claimed a superb catch at short square leg to dismiss Edwards, who fell just short of his half-century. It was redemption for Fanning after he twice dropped Kurtis Patterson, NSW’s top scorer with 86, on the second day.The unassuming Morris, playing a rare back-to-back Shield match, was somewhat reluctant to hold the ball aloft but deserved the strong applause from the crowd after a performance marked by sustained pace and unwavering accuracy.All eyes will be on how many overs he can bowl on the final day.

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

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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.”

Fiery burst wrecks hosts’ hopes of taking lead, before Gubbins’ fifty builds for visitors

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025 Hampshire 293 (Middleton 79, Weatherley 62, Taylor 5-55) and 139 for 2 (Gubbins 55*) lead Worcestershire 249 (Libby 100*, Hose 82, Baker 5-72) by 183 runsSonny Baker’s five-wicket haul and a Nick Gubbins half-century helped drive Hampshire into the ascendency on Day Three of the Rothesay County Championship clash against Worcestershire.Baker’s morning burst of three wickets saw him to figures of 5 for 72, as Jake Libby’s 100 not out could not see Worcestershire into the lead despite early promise, as his side were bowled out for 249.With a lead of 44, the visiting side batted through the day with relative comfort on a flattening wicket, as Joe Weatherley and Fletcha Middleton made early progress for their side.Gubbins then scored an unbeaten 55 to see his side to 139 for 2 at the close, with the away side well in the hunt for a third County Championship victory of the season.With a lengthy delay to the start of proceedings on the third morning of the match, Hampshire enjoyed an excellent start to the day as Baker produced an eye-catching three wicket burst to reduce Worcestershire to 189 for 5.The visitors welcomed a stroke of luck in the second over of the day when Adam Hose feathered a strangle down the leg-side, to depart without adding to his overnight score, before Baker picked up the wickets of Brett D’Oliveira (1) and Ethan Brookes (0) as the hosts reeled under the clouds at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Searching for their first Rothesay County Championship win since mid-May, Hampshire began the afternoon session in similar vein to the morning, with Libby watching his side fall behind in the contest.Matthew Waite helped add 34 with the Worcestershire opener, before he nicked off to James Fuller for a cautious 21 as the Division One strugglers watched another promising position fall away beneath them as they limped to 223 for 6.Part-timer Nick Gubbins was thrown the ball in the 80th over of the innings as the visitors looked to move things on before taking the new ball but were overjoyed when Tom Taylor was pinned LBW in an innocuous over as the home side slid further behind the eight-ball.Hampshire tightened their grip on the match, as Kyle Abbott (1 for 27) and Baker removed Ben Allison and Adam Finch, with Libby 98 not out and his side still trailing by 46 runs.Libby added the two runs required to reach a gritty century off 235 balls, registering the first century by a Worcestershire player at Visit Worcestershire New Road this summer.Baker capped a fine individual performance as he returned in the next over to secure his five-wicket haul and ensure his side took a healthy lead of 44 runs into their second innings, with Worcestershire all-out one run short of a batting bonus-point.Hampshire lost Joe Weatherley in the 11th over of their reply, when he was LBW to a full ball from Waite but marched on unfazed to pass fifty with comfort.Middleton got in and showed signs of extending his good form from the first innings but was unable to capitalise on his positive start as he was caught behind off an Adam Finch delivery, with his side 120 runs in front.Gubbins made his way to a comfortable half-century as the evening drew to a close, as he and Tilak Varma batted through to stumps with Hampshire in total control at 139 for 2, with a commanding 183-run lead heading into the final day.