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Ahead of New Zealand tour, the high altitude and cold weather, and the pace, bounce and movement, offered conditions they are likely to face there

Madushka Balasuriya23-Feb-2023Sri Lanka’s cricketers and coaching staff provided a glowing endorsement of the country’s latest training facility in Radella, Nuwara Eliya, following a week-long training camp at the newly renovated ground.Located some 4000 feet above sea level, the Radella Cricket Ground – home to Dimbula Athletic & Cricket Club – is among the most picturesque in the world; its immediate surroundings comprise the trademark greenery and mountainscapes of Sri Lanka’s hills, with waterfalls and tea estates aplenty, ready to greet those who venture further out.But more than the scenery, it was the conditions at the ground which most pleased those in attendance. Ahead of the team’s departure to New Zealand – where they will compete in two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is – the combination of high altitude and cold weather, along with the pace, bounce and movement present at Radella, offered the players as close a facsimile to the conditions they are likely to face in the coming month.Related

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“The wickets we’ve been playing on have been excellent,” Sri Lanka head coach Chris Silverwood said on the sidelines of the training camp. “Decent pace, good bounce, little bit of movement, and obviously the climate has suited us as well as training at high altitude; very similar to what we may face in New Zealand.”The renovation work has been headed by Godrey Dabrera, Sri Lanka Cricket’s manager of international venues and facilities. Having started on the work towards the end of last year, Dabrera headed a 20-member team in relaying four centre-turf wickets as well as installing five practice wickets, all of which was completed in a span eight weeks.”The work that Godfrey and the team have done here has been absolutely fantastic, to get this place up and running, to give us the conditions and the facilities we have here,” Silverwood said. “They’ve done a great job in such a short period of time as well.”Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne echoed his coach’s thoughts, and was particularly pleased at his bowlers being afforded extra time to get used to colder climes.”I think the bowlers benefitted quite a bit. For the fast bowlers, it’s not like bowling in warm conditions; bowling in colder conditions is a little harder,” Karunaratne said. “Even for the spinners, gripping the ball can be difficult in a colder climate. So things like that were very useful. We also have a lot of young players in the squad who haven’t played in New Zealand, so this was a very useful experience.”Sri Lanka completed their training camp on Thursday, and will now head back to Colombo to continue their preparations. The tour of New Zealand begins with the first Test from March 9 in Christchurch.

Australia batter signs to play with new Freedom coach Ricky Ponting despite a heavy workload in 2024

Alex Malcolm15-Apr-2024Travis Head has elected not to rest following the T20 World Cup and will instead join Steven Smith to play in Major League Cricket’s second season after signing with Washington Freedom.Head, who is currently playing in the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad, was clearly fatigued at the end of the Australian summer having required a rest during the home white-ball series against West Indies in February before another four months of non-stop cricket which included the tour of New Zealand, the IPL and the T20 World Cup.Related

• Pat Cummins signs four-year deal with MLC's San Francisco Unicorns

• MLC 2024 to begin on July 5, set for six-day clash with the Hundred

• Maxwell signs with Washington in MLC, clarifies that form was the reason for IPL self-omission

• Steven Smith joins Washington Freedom ahead of Major League Cricket's second season

• Ponting confirmed as Washington Freedom head coach in Major League Cricket

Head has chosen to continue his 2024 playing odyssey by signing with Freedom, just a week after Smith joined the franchise. Australia does not have any international commitments after the T20 World Cup until a white-ball tour of England in September.Head and Smith will play under Freedom’s new coach, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting after he recently replaced Greg Shipperd.Freedom recently announced the signing of New Zealand allrounder Rachin Ravindra. They retained two overseas players from the 2023 season in Marco Jansen and Akeal Hosein.Head joins Smith, Adam Zampa (Los Angeles Knight Riders), Spencer Johnson (Knight Riders), Tim David (MI New York), Matt Short (San Franciso Unicorns) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (San Franciso Unicorns) as confirmed Australian signings for the second season of MLC, with more expected to join for the tournament which starts immediately after the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies ends on June 29.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, thumped USA by 121 runs to book a spot in the Super Six of the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2024Afghanistan and Nepal had everything to play for in East London on Friday, and play they did, toe-to-toe, inch-for-inch, all the way to a thrilling finish amid gripping drama. Nepal won by one wicket in the end, and entered the Super Six stage of the men’s Under-19 World Cup at the expense of Afghanistan; but the game was, perhaps, more than just the result and the make-up of the next stage of the tournament.Nepal seemed to have it in the bag at various stages, when first Aakash Chand was running through the Afghanistan batting, and then when Dev Khanal, the captain, was stroking his way to an 89-ball 58. But if there’s one thing Afghanistan don’t do – at any level of the game – it’s to give up. They took it deep, before Subash Bhandari, who had earlier returned 1 for 15 from 8.1 overs, poked at one outside off to the legspin of Arab Gul, got a healthy edge and sent it through a packed off-side field for four. Deal done. The celebrations were as wild as the game itself was.The win was set up by Chand, later named Player of the Match. By the tenth over, Afghanistan were tottering at 34 for 5 after having opted to bat. Chand had four of those wickets. The fightback came courtesy Hassan Eisakhil (20) and Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (31), and then Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (37); but all Afghanistan could put up was 145. Chand finished with 5 for 34, his fifth wicket that of Eisakhil.Nepal’s reply started almost as shakily, with Khalil Ahmed and Faridoon Dawoodzai reducing them to 24 for 3. But a dominant Khanal and a sedate Aakash Tripathi appeared to take the game away from Afghanistan with a 49-run stand, the best of the innings.A twist had to come, and it came in the form of Maroofkhil sending Tripathi back in the 24th over, with the target still 73 runs away. Khanal wasn’t going anywhere, though, even as a couple more wickets fell at the other end, before being felled by Ghazanfar for 58.The total then was 127 for 7. Overs were not an issue, but Afghanistan were into Nepal’s tail. Dipak Bohora ensured it wagged enough to take Nepal to within a shot of victory, but he too fell with six runs still to get. The fielders were all around the bat at that stage, and the dot balls piled up; but somehow, in the end, Bhandari found a way out.Nathan Edward’s all-round performance helped West Indies beat England by two wickets in Potchefstroom and qualify for the Super Six round. He picked up 3 for 28 with his left-arm seam as England folded for 192, and then scored an unbeaten 49 to take his side home.After West Indies opted to bowl, Nathan Edward castled Jaydn Denly in the first over of the match. England captain Ben McKinney and Noah Thain added 50 for the second wicket, before he sent McKinney back. Thain and Hamza Shaikh, who scored 54 off 83, took England to 97 for 2 in the 21st over, but once offspinner Tarrique Edward removed Thain, the innings collapsed. At one stage, England were 146 for 7, but the lower order dragged them close to 200.West Indies, too, lost a wicket in the first over, and were 31 for 2 in the sixth. But their captain Stephan Pascal absorbed all the pressure and scored 58 off 84.Legspinner Tazeem Chaudry Ali tried to keep England in the contest with his three wickets, including that of Pascal. When West Indies lost their seventh, the target was still 37 runs away, though the asking rate was never a concern.But Nathan Edward stood up once again with an unbeaten 49 off 80 balls. He added 36 off 32 deliveries with Tarrique Edward, in which the latter’s contribution was 5, before hitting the winning boundary.Ariful Islam made a run-a-ball 103•ICC via Getty Images

Ariful Islam’s 103, followed by Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby’s four-wicket haul helped Bangladesh thump USA by 121 runs in Bloemfontein. With two wins in three matches, Bangladesh finished second in their group, and advanced to the Super Six stage of the tournament.USA had Bangladesh at 94 for 3 after opting to bowl first, but a 122-run fourth-wicket stand between Ariful and Ahrar Amin, who scored 44, took Bangladesh to 291. Ariful notched up nine boundaries, and kept the scoring rate healthy. But left-arm seamer Arya Garg continued his fine form for USA, taking 3 for 68 to finish the competition with five wickets.USA started the chase steadily, with opener Prannav Chettipalayam scoring 57. But he didn’t find much support from the other end, as USA lost track towards the halfway mark. What was 86 for 1 became 112 for 4, while from the 40th over onwards, they lost 6 for 16 to get bowled out for 170. Left-arm spinner Rabby was the star of the Bangladesh bowling attack, as he got 4 for 31 from ten overs.

England name 17 players, including seven on two-year deals, to cover Ashes and twin World Cups

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2024Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer have been handed full ECB central contracts for the first time, while a senior core of seven players – including captain Heather Knight and senior allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, have been given two-year deals, ahead of a busy women’s schedule that includes the Ashes in January and back-to-back 20- and 50-over World Cups in 2025 and 2026.Gaur, the promising left-arm seamer, and Filer, England’s fastest bowler, are the only new additions to the 17-player pool, having been on development contracts last year. Emma Lamb and Tash Farrant have been cut from the list from 2023-24.A further three players have been handed development deals for the next 12 months, including Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who made her ODI and T20I against Ireland in September, and is currently in South Africa ahead of the one-off Test at Bloemfontein which starts on Sunday.Clare Connor, England women’s managing director, said: “As ever, we have awarded central contracts to the players we feel will play a significant role for England in the foreseeable future.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We are delighted that Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer have transitioned on to full contracts, having been part of our group over the past year.”Ryana MacDonald-Gay has had an outstanding year, and the development contract affords her the opportunity to continue to push her claim for selection. We look forward to working with all three players on development contracts and their Counties to ensure they continue their development.”We have another significant period of cricket ahead and we believe this group of players have the skills to be successful in all conditions and formats which will be essential as we look forward to a two-year period that includes the Women’s Ashes in early 2025, multiple bilateral series, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India, and a home ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the summer of 2026.”This is another landmark year in terms of increased remuneration for England Women. We have been able to make another significant increase in the value of central contracts on the back of last year’s equalisation of men’s and women’s international match fees across all formats. We continue to work positively with the England Women’s Player Partnership (EWPP) and the PCA and are grateful for both their support and challenge in these matters.”England Women’s Player Partnership Management Board Member, Emma Reid, said: “EWPP and the PCA are really encouraged at the progression of standards within the Women’s Central Contracts, achieved through strong collaboration between the ECB and player representatives.
“It is positive to see multi-year agreements, showing long term commitment from the ECB and also the players who continue to prioritise representing their country.”We are pleased to have worked with the ECB and the players to achieve the priorities of being well supported in their England careers.”

McSweeney’s 199-ball innings ensured South Australia’s first innings deficit was just two runs

Alex Malcolm07-Mar-2025Nathan McSweeney showcased why he remains firmly in Test calculations with a gritty half-century in the face of some phenomenal seam bowling from Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill who took nine wickets between them to leave Victoria and South Australia locked in a tight arm wrestle after two days at the Junction Oval.O’Neill took his fifth career five-wicket haul to maintain his outstanding Sheffield Shield record, while Boland claimed 4 for 53 with spells that were every bit the equal of the best he has shown at Test level, to bowl South Australia out for 283 and give Victoria a narrow two-run first innings lead. That advantage swelled to 48 as Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris batted impressively in the final hour of the day.Victory is crucial for Victoria if they are to maintain a realistic chance of making the Shield final.Related

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Their lead would have been more without McSweeney’s 199-ball 60 in very challenging batting conditions. He only struck six boundaries and had to defend and leave stoutly in the face of some high-quality bowling from O’Neill and Boland who delivered 38.4 of the 67.4 overs he was out there for.He began the day on 9 off 52 balls and was unable to gain any fluency early after Jason Sangha was adjudged lbw not offering a shot to O’Neill for 19.Jake Lehmann helped break the shackles with a breezy 40 off 43 balls that included two thunderous drives down the ground. O’Neill switched ends to break the 54-run stand, nipping one back from around the wicket to pin Lehmann lbw.McSweeney started to flow from there despite the loss of Liam Scott, who was also trapped plumb infront by an excellent Xavier Crone yorker. Scott’s front foot slid from under him to leave him on all fours as the finger was raised.McSweeney kept accumulating with the help of Harry Nielsen. But O’Neill’s accuracy was unrelenting. McSweeney eventually nicked a good length delivery on off stump to Blake Macdonald at slip who held the low chance.Nielsen and Ben Manenti then counterattacked against the old ball as Boland and O’Neill rested before the new one was due. The pair added 61 for the seventh wicket before Boland returned to remove them both in quick succession.Manenti flashed a drive against the second new ball and nicked to Macdonald at first slip. Boland then nipped one back through Nielsen’s gate from around the wicket to splay off stump in almost identical fashion to Conor McInerney’s dismissal on the first evening. But Nielsen’s 45 was vital in the context of the match.Brendan Doggett and Henry Thornton combined to frustrate Victoria, adding 34 for the ninth wicket before O’Neill switched ends again to take the final two wickets. He took a sharp return catch to remove Doggett for 19 before clean bowling Jordan Buckingham.It set up a tricky 16-over period in the evening session for Kellaway and Harris to negotiate. But the pair left and defended well against the new ball while rotating the strike impressively to give Victoria the chance to build a significant lead on day three.

Sri Lanka are best placed at the moment, but they are not in the final yet

S Rajesh07-Sep-2022Afghanistan
If Afghanistan lose to Pakistan, they will be eliminated [along with India]. If they beat Pakistan but lose to India, they will have to hope Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on Friday, so that three teams are tied on one win each.If Afghanistan win both matches, they will qualify for certain if Sri Lanka defeat Pakistan on Friday. If Sri Lanka lose to Pakistan, then three teams will be level on two wins, and net run-rate will come into play.India
India’s only chance of making the final is if Sri Lanka finish with three wins, and the three other teams have one win each. In that case, the team with the best NRR among Afghanistan, India and Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the final.For India to qualify, Pakistan will have to lose both their remaining matches, against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, while India will need to beat Afghanistan on Thursday. If Pakistan beat Afghanistan, both India and Afghanistan will be eliminated.Pakistan
If Pakistan beat Afghanistan, they will qualify for the final along with Sri Lanka. If they lose on Wednesday and beat Sri Lanka on Friday, they will still qualify if India beat Afghanistan on Thursday. However, if Afghanistan win both their remaining games, then Pakistan will need to beat Sri Lanka and hope that their NRR is in the top two.If Pakistan lose both their remaining matches, they will have to hope India beat Afghanistan, in which case three teams will have one win each. NRR will then decide the second finalists.Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka are sitting pretty with two wins out of two. The only way they can fall short is if they lose to Pakistan, and Afghanistan beat both Pakistan and India. In that case, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan will all finish on two points each, with NRR deciding which two teams qualify. For that to happen, though, Afghanistan will have to beat Pakistan and India on successive days at two different venues.

Test captain offers support to Ollie Robinson as England ponder three-man seam attack

Vithushan Ehantharajah05-Mar-20241:34

What will Bazball 2.0 look like?

For the first time under Ben Stokes’ captaincy, England will be playing for pride in a Test match.India hold the spoils, and all England have is the carrot of leaving with a 3-2 scoreline by becoming the first team since 2012 to win two matches in a series against the hosts. Though that is mainly down to the fact not every Test nation is afforded five Tests in these parts. Even Australia were only given four this time last year.That Dharamsala is hosting this fifth and final Test does add extra context of scenery and, for some, divinity. A number of the touring party will meet the Dalai Lama on Wednesday morning. At this point, England’s own spiritual leader is unlikely to be among them.Related

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The series may be gone, but Stokes’ focus remains for this final stretch of this tour. “Well, it’s like whenever we play,” he replied when asked what, aside from a few World Test Championship points, are at stake. “We want to win this week.”Complacency is not an option, particularly with the sense this team needs to step up to the next level. Missed chances against Australia last summer stung, and similar spurned opportunities in India speak of the need for a talented group to start handling these pressure situations more effectively.”It’s not a mental or a mentality thing,” Stokes said, matter-of-factly. “All you can do is work your hardest and try your nuts off in the nets because that’s where you get better.”It was in the nets on Tuesday morning that England came the close to freezing those proverbials off. Most of the squad trained in beanie hats, which were brought over during the break between the second and third Test, along with a few long-sleeve cream jumpers. Cooler temperatures and even rain forecast on day one make this match an altogether different proposition.England are entertaining picking a three-pronged seam attack for the first time on this trip, but will wait to see how what Stokes described as a “belting deck” as far as batting is concerned, with surprisingly little grass given the rain over the last week, looks on Wednesday afternoon. Shoaib Bashir is nursing a split spinning finger, having bowled almost 38% of his first-class overs in the last month. He is likely to be the one that makes way for the extra pace option.With James Anderson fully fit after a quad strain kept him off the field for the final session of the fourth Test – and just two away from 700 career dismissals – Mark Wood could return for his third match of the series. And while Stokes lauded uncapped quick Gus Atkinson as “an exciting talent”, Ollie Robinson may retain his place in the XI after a disappointing first appearance since last July in the defeat at Ranchi.Robinson went wicketless in 13 overs consigned solely to the first innings after picking up a back issue running between the wickets while compiling his maiden Test fifty. It dramatically stifled his effectiveness and in turn blunted England’s cutting-edge with the ball. His misery was compounded by a costly drop of Dhruv Jurel in India’s first innings.Stokes took the opportunity to back Robinson, whose Test record still reads an impressive 76 wickets at 22.92. And he gave a clear indication he sees the 30-year-old as an important part of England’s future.Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum oversee preparations ahead of the fifth Test against India•Getty Images

“You are more gutted for Ollie that something on day one, his back going, which affects the role he can play in the long run. He is more disappointed that he couldn’t help the team out as much as he’d like,” he said.”With Ollie, we look at the effort he put in as an individual leading up to and on this tour. His work ethic away from playing was very good, and he gave himself the best chance of being in position to win that game for us.”The thing to look at is that he was out on the field, trying to influence the game even though he wasn’t feeling 100%. A lesser man would have put their hands up, walked away and not even tried.”Stokes saved special praise for Jonny Bairstow, ahead of the Yorkshire batter’s 100th cap. The pair have a long association, starting from age-group cricket. And it was instructive that Bairstow rated his 2022 summer – Stokes’ first as captain – as a broad highlight of his career.Naturally, Stokes was unwilling to take credit: “I’m not the one who’s out there doing that,” referencing the 681 runs struck across just six Tests that season. But as a close friend of Bairstow, and someone who brought up three figures himself in the third Test at Rajkot and brushed it off, he knows how much this will mean to the 34-year-old.”This is probably going to be more of an emotional thing for Jonny than it ever was for me. I don’t need to go into details as to why about the whole family. He’s got his mam, sister, partner, little baby boy and some friends here.”Playing for England means so much to Jonny and means so much to his family as well and to play over 100 ODIs, 100 Tests – a lot of cricket for England – it means a hell of a lot to him. He deserves everything that gets spoken about him in the build-up to the game and throughout the week as well.”But amid all the Bairstow-related pageantry, and the possibility of narrowing the gap between them and India, England first need to approach this fixture like it matters, even if it carries little weight in the grand scheme of things. Stokes made a note of reiterating that to the team before training got underway.”We’ve been on so many India tours, you know what it’s like when you get to an end of a long one – that sometimes you start thinking about the end of the game,” Stokes warned.”I don’t think that anyone is thinking like that because every opportunity we feel at the moment is special to play for England. Because we’ve lost the series, it doesn’t mean that this game is different to what last week was or the week before.”We’ll think about the plane and getting home when we’re in the airport. So I won’t be thinking about that whatsoever until the game’s done.”

The state’s winless run in the tournament has now extended to 14 matches but they will have Nathan Lyon against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2023Former Test batter and New South Wales captain Kurtis Patterson has been dropped from their Sheffield Shield team for the match against Victoria after another winless start to the season.It is the second time this year that Patterson has been dropped after he was left out for the final game of last season when he was replaced as captain by Moises Henriques. Since last November Patterson has averaged just 14.92 in the Shield and has started this season with scores of 32, 4 and 10.Blake MacDonald, who made his first-class debut in the final game of last season against South Australia and scored 61, comes into the squad.Related

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New South Wales have not won a match in their last 14 Sheffield Shield outings stretching back to February 2022 but should have claimed the opening game of this season against Queensland only to be denied by Michael Neser and Jimmy Pierson.They were then comprehensively beaten by South Australia in Adelaide last week when they were bowled out for 183 and 136.However, in a boost for their hopes against Victoria at the MCG they will have Nathan Lyon available with the offspinner set to play his first four-day game of the season as he continues his comeback after the Ashes-ending calf injury.Lyon is due to play the match in Melbourne, followed by NSW’s two home games against Western Australia and Tasmania next month ahead of the Test summer which begins in mid-December.For Patterson, this latest omission continues a difficult few years after he had reached the Australia Test side against Sri Lanka during the 2018-19 season and scored a maiden century in Canberra.Since that season, where he hit three first-class centuries and another brace for a CA XI against Sri Lankans in Hobart which ultimately earned him his Test call, he has made three hundreds and averaged 27.19 in first-class cricket.New South Wales squad vs Victoria Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hackney, Moises Henriques (capt), Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Blake Macdonald, Jack Nisbet, Jason Sangha, Chris Tremain

Siddle, Boyce, Conway’s efforts with the ball in vain for Strikers in Lynn’s last BBL game of the season

Tristan Lavalette14-Jan-2023Brisbane Heat revived their struggling BBL season and spoiled the returns of Travis Head and Alex Carey with a 17-run victory over Adelaide Strikers in sweltering conditions.After being sent in, under-pressure Heat mustered a modest 154 in temperatures nudging 40 degrees celsius at the Adelaide Oval.But they bowled superbly with seamer James Bazley claiming three wickets to thwart Strikers’ star-studded batting order and sour former Heat star Chris Lynn’s final BBL match of the season.It was the second time Heat beat Strikers this season to climb off the bottom of the ladder.

Johnson’s rapid pace again impresses

Tearaway Spencer Johnson was a shining light in Heat’s big home loss to Perth Scorchers with fiery bowling in his BBL debut.There was intrigue if the left-arm quick could back it up and Johnson did just that with a maiden over to start, where he hit speeds of 150kmh to fluster Lynn. So impressive was Johnson that Australian great Adam Gilchrist on the Fox broadcast likened the 27-year-old to his namesake Mitchell Johnson.But Johnson, who played in the 50-over Marsh Cup previously for South Australia and was on Adelaide Strikers’ list last season, was brought back to earth in his next over by a typically fearless Lynn.He returned in the 16th over amid the power surge and impressively held his nerve. Johnson then claimed his maiden BBL wicket with a perfect yorker to knock over Wes Agar to cap another fine performance.

Strikers’ star-studded batting order fail to fire

There was much anticipation over the return of skipper Head, whose belligerent Test batting against West Indies and South Africa seemingly had him primed for the BBL. But Head lasted just two balls after being bowled by left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann much to the disappointment of the home faithful.New batter Lynn was keen to finish his strong first campaign with Strikers on a high and started with a gorgeous drive to the boundary off Kuhnemann. But he was bogged down by Johnson before falling to Kuhnemann for 22 off 24 balls. It was a disappointment for Lynn, who finished with 416 runs at a strike-rate of 141 from 11 matches.Returning from Test duties, Alex Carey fell in the next over for just two and Strikers’ chase never recovered.

Labuschagne falls short of maiden BBL half-century

The returns of Test trio Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw and skipper Usman Khawaja failed to spark Heat against Scorchers.They hoped to cash in at the traditionally batting-friendly Adelaide Oval, but Khawaja fell for two in the third over before Labuschagne and Renshaw turned things around with a 42-run third-wicket partnership.Renshaw looked in sweet touch, but for the second straight game couldn’t kick on. With inventiveness, including well executed scoops, Labuschagne anchored the innings as he eyed a maiden BBL half-century in his 19th match.But he fell short and Heat struggled in the backend. English batter Sam Hain, who mostly grew up in Australia and played for their Under-19s side, was unluckily run out at the non-striker’s end after a touch from spinner Ben Manenti in his follow through. He made just six, but Heat had cobbled together a total that surprisingly proved more than enough.

Boyce winds back the clock

Former Australia T20 legspinner Cameron Boyce has proven a solid replacement for talisman Rashid Khan, who left to play in South Africa’s new T20 league.The 33-year-old had bowled well without reward in Strikers’ last two matches before making an impact on a slow surface offering some spin.He came into the attack in the sixth over with Strikers under pressure from big-hitting opener Josh Brown. Boyce smartly took pace off the ball to lure Brown into a false shot for his first wicket of the season.He then bowled well during the middle overs and broke a dangerous partnership between Renshaw and Labuschagne.Boyce fortunately picked up the wicket of Renshaw with a half-tracker, but was rewarded after building pressure through mixing up his speed.Having once been a much-hyped prospect, playing seven T20Is from 2014-16, Boyce’s career was derailed by injuries before he spectacularly re-emerged late last season with four wickets in four balls for Melbourne Renegades against Sydney Thunder.It led to being recruited by Strikers, who wanted suitable cover for Rashid which has proven prophetic so far. After he finished his four-over spell, Boyce went off the ground with a suspected calf niggle and Strikers will be hoping it is not a serious injury.

Senior seamer has played just three times for her country this season as youngsters emerge

Valkerie Baynes17-Sep-2022Kate Cross is poised to unleash the frustration of a quiet English summer when her side opens their ODI series with India at Hove on Sunday.The match will be Cross’s first in an England shirt for two months, the seamer who turns 31 next month having played for her country just three times this summer.She took 4 for 63 and 2 for 56 in the drawn Test against South Africa which kicked off the home international season and went wicketless in two ODIs against the same opposition.”You just want to play as much cricket as you can, and I feel like I’ve probably been a bit light on cricket this summer,” Cross said. “I’ve played three games for England, which feels really – compared to last year especially – like not a lot of cricket.”You do all the training so you can go out there and enjoy those moments as a team. I’ve had one of the best seats in the house to watch that T20 series and see the youngsters go out and do their thing, so I just can’t wait to get out there.”Related

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• Alice Capsey, Freya Kemp named in England ODI squad to face India

Cross was part of England’s T20I squad for South Africa’s tour, the Commonwealth Games and the recently completed series with India, which the hosts won 2-1, but did not play a game.During that time, she has witnessed close-up the emergence of a new generation, including seam bowlers Issy Wong, Lauren Bell and Freya Kemp, as well as allrounder Alice Capsey.Kemp and Capsey have been particularly impressive with the bat also and are set to make their ODI debuts during the three-match series with India, while Wong and Bell are looking to expand their experience in the format having played two ODIs each against South Africa.”It’s always frustrating when you’re in a squad and not playing,” said Cross, who is the senior seamer in England’s squad with veteran Katherine Brunt resting. “But I think from my point of view, there’s a bit of experience that I can bring to the group even when I’m not playing.”That’s been something that I’ve tried to do with this team as we’ve obviously not got Nat [Sciver] or Katherine around, so as a senior bowler it’s nice to have a bit more responsibility and some youngsters listening to what you’re saying.”They’ve been so impressive. They’ve just had no fear when they’ve come out to play for England, which is everything that we want moving forward. It’s what we’re trying to achieve as a team. It’s a type of cricket that means that you can’t fail and they’ve just come in and done exactly that.”All of which augers well for England’s future, but doesn’t make it easier for Cross to break her playing drought, although she was keen to highlight that as a positive for the home side also.”The only thing I can go off is my past record in ODI cricket and I’d like to think that that would stand me in good stead,” Cross said. “Flipping that, it’s really exciting, that we’ve got competition for places now.”If you looked at this squad a couple of years ago and it didn’t have Nat and Katherine in it, I think a lot of people would have panicked, but it’s just so fantastic that youngsters are coming through and they’re taking their opportunities.”No one can rest easy when you’ve got the likes of an Issy Wong or a Lauren Bell behind you so I think it’s really good and it keeps selection juicy, I guess, because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”Cross was a standout performer in the ODIs last time India toured England, a year ago, her 5 for 34 in Taunton earning her Player-of-the-Match honours and helping the hosts to a five-wicket victory and 2-0 series lead before India won the final game in Worcester for a 2-1 series scoreline.After Hove, this series moves to Canterbury on Wednesday followed by the finale at Lord’s next Saturday. The last time these sides met at the home of cricket was in the 2017 World Cup final, which England won in a nine-run thriller.That match carries bittersweet memories for Cross. Along with Amy Jones – now acting captain in place of Heather Knight (hip injury) and Sciver (mental health break) – and Tash Farrant, she was one of three centrally contracted England players left out of the 15-strong squad for that World Cup.”When the fixture list came out at the start of the summer, it was the first thing that I noticed,” Cross said. “It’s such a huge occasion for us to be able to play at a ground like Lord’s. There’s so much history there and the last time that we played there as a team was in 2017 so there’s some really special memories there against India as well.”It’s funny because a lot of the young girls have been playing at Lord’s in the Hundred and it’s nothing too big for them. Whereas for some of the older girls who have not actually had that much opportunity to play there – I’ve only played one game there and it was for the MCC, so I’ve never played internationally there or in the Hundred – so it just always feels like a special occasion when you get to be at Lord’s.”