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A round-up of the third day of the first round of the Regional Four Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2011England Lions began their tour of West Indies on a winning note after they thrashed Leeward Islands at Warner Park in St Kitts by an innings and 120 runs. Leeward, who began the third day on 148 for 2, were able to add only 158 more runs before they were bowled out for 306. Kieran Powell made 131, but none of the remaining Leeward batsmen were able to get past 40. James Hildreth used six bowlers and all of them were among the wickets, with Danny Briggs the most successful with his left-arm spin, picking up 3 for 44. Following-on, the Leeward batsmen capitulated in their second stint, lasting just 38.3 overs. Surrey’s Jade Dernbach did the damage, conceding just 16 runs to pick up five wickets. Lower-order batsmen Justin Athanaze and Gavin Tonge showed some resistance with a half-century partnership but that just delayed the inevitable as Leewards were bowled out for 127 to hand the Lions 12 points.Combined Campuses and Colleges joined the Lions at the top of the points table after they beat Windward Islands by 33 runs at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados. CCC added just five runs to their overnight total of 216 for 9 before they were bowled out, to set Windward a victory target of 179. Windward started solidly with openers Johnson Charles and Tyrone Theophile adding 38 runs before Ryan Austin struck. He picked up two quick wickets as Windward stumbled to 46 for 3. A 50-run partnership between Andre Fletcher (35) and captain Liam Sebastien (27) steadied the Windward innings. However, once both batsmen fell, Windward lost the momentum. Legspinner Nkruma Bonner ran through the middle and lower order, picking up five wickets as Windward slumped from 117 for 4 to 145 all out.Jamaica hold the advantage over Guyana going in to the final day at Alpart Sports Club in Jamaica. Jamaica’s second innings was anchored by a dominating double-century from Marlon Samuels. Samuels hit 22 fours and seven sixes in an unbeaten 250 as he powered his team to 391 for 4 before captain Tamar Lambert declared, to set Guyana a target of 359 runs. Both teams had failed to get past 200 in their first innings, but after Jamaica’s strong showing in their second stint, Guyana too, began their chase in positive fashion. They reached 58 for no loss at stumps with Rajindra Chandrika and Shemroy Barrington at the crease.The match between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados at Guaracara Park in Trinidad seems to be headed towards a draw after both teams put in a strong batting performance in their first innings. Runako Morton and Denish Ramdin both made 86, missing out on centuries, but together with Imran Khan (49) and Rayad Emrit, who was unbeaten on 82, carried T&T to 390 for 9 at stumps on the third day, trailing Barbados by just 5 runs. Kevin Stoute was the most successful of the Barbados bowlers, picking up 3 for 69.

Surrey’s CEO Paul Sheldon, envisages a future in which The Oval, soon to be regenerated as a 25,000-seater stadium, can be at the forefront of any further drive to globalise the game

Andrew Miller and Andrew McGlashan09-Feb-2010Hampshire’s groundbreaking deal with the Rajasthan Royals, which was announced at Lord’s on Monday, could have changed at a stroke the dynamics and priorities of the remaining 17 first-class counties, as the scramble intensifies to reposition English cricket in the midst of the IPL revolution.As many as six county chief executives are currently believed to be in India, sounding out investment opportunities for the future of their clubs, and one of those, Surrey’s CEO Paul Sheldon, envisages a future in which The Oval, soon to be regenerated as a 25,000-seater stadium, can be at the forefront of any further drive to globalise the game.”I have been having various discussions with various people to investigate possible links that can be made in a country that’s full of opportunities,” Sheldon told Cricinfo. “Business-wise and stadium-wise, and international cricket-wise, we like to think of ourselves as a global leader, and we believe it’s vital that Surrey is at the forefront of such discussions, given that we’ve had many, many, more people through our gates for Twenty20 cricket than any other ground.”Despite enduring three of the leanest on-field years in the county’s long and illustrious history, the sheer value of Surrey’s bricks and mortar – crucially situated in the heart of London – give them the right, in Sheldon’s opinion, to drive a hard bargain, and he confirmed that, as a potential senior partner in any future alignment, the business model adopted by Hampshire is not a direction that they would contemplate following.”We are well situated in London, and we have a very, very strong Indian and Asian following,” he added, highlighting Surrey’s success in marketing previous matches with a subcontinental slant, in particular the 2005 Tsunami relief match featuring Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, and the World Twenty20 warm-up fixture between India and Pakistan last summer, both of which were sell-outs.”Without jeopardising anything in terms of our agreements with the ECB, it is clearly my responsibility to use the ground as much as we can,” said Sheldon, who reiterated his belief in the sanctity of Test cricket, but acknowledged that the days of relying on the England team as the sport’s principal source of income could be drawing rapidly to a close.”We all acknowledge that we need to broaden our revenue streams, particularly if there is a reduction of TV revenue due to the potential delisting of Ashes cricket,” he said. “If that occurs, we may have to take individual initiatives, and here at Surrey, we’re in a very strong position to capitalise on that.”If Surrey and the Lord’s-based MCC are the two clubs best placed to thrive in the changing landscape, then there are still opportunities to be had for the next tier in the county game. Durham’s chief executive, David Harker, sees clear parallels between themselves and Hampshire – two of the most ambitious counties in the land, with modern green-field venues to attract investors, and uncomplicated business models which, as Hampshire have already shown, allow for a quick decision in the event of a opportunity arising.”Test match grounds are looking for ways of making returns from their investments,” Harker told Cricinfo. “Organisations that are in the business of cricket will look at ways they can sustain their ventures. Whether what has happened at Hampshire is right for other counties, I really don’t know. but it is certainly intriguing and something we are all keeping a close eye on – and perhaps even informally beginning to explore opportunities with other franchises.”Other counties are not so fortunate. Leicestershire had harboured hopes of securing a deal with Rajasthan through their longstanding links with the franchise chairman and former Investors in Cricket partner, Manoj Badale, but they were beaten to the punch despite their strong links with the Midlands Asian community. “We had negotiations with Badele, but we always knew a deal would be unlikely,” Neil Davidson, Leicestershire’s chairman, told Cricinfo. “The key will be when we have Indian players in the first team, when we can boast an iconic, home-grown figure.”Meanwhile, Somerset enjoyed an eye-opening foray into the Champions League in India last October, and in a bid to bludgeon themselves a second bite of the cherry, they have assembled a formidable team of power-hitters including Marcus Trescothick, Craig Kieswetter and Kieron Pollard for this season’s Twenty20 Cup. But in terms of long-term viability, the bucolic charms of Taunton have little to offer any potential franchise tie-up, and on Friday last week, their chief executive, Richard Gould, issued a bleak warning that county cricket could cease to exist beyond 2013.”The one thing we want to make sure of is that if we join anything it isn’t a bandwagon,” Gould told Cricinfo. “The Champions League was a great adventure and something we would love to return to on a regular basis, but our club has been going since 1875 and we’ve got a great deal of equity and tradition in the brand and the name of Somerset. The one thing you can risk by creating a franchise is that you disenfranchise all the supporters you have built up.”With regards to franchise and branding, would we be prepared to wear another team’s colours, and would we be prepared to put another team’s suffix onto the end of Somerset? I think that’s a more difficult point. Hampshire are a well-run club and I’m sure they will have identified that they will need to put a lot of investing into making sure the brand and the franchise does have meaning to existing supporters.”Gould acknowledged that, in the iconic figure of Shane Warne, the Royals franchise possess a priceless figurehead with personal links to three of the five key clubs involved, as well as a global appeal that few cricketers – with the possible exception of Sachin Tendulkar – can ever hope to match. Without the cachet of big-name players or the security of a world-class venue, the future for several counties has rarely looked bleaker.

David Coltart, the former sports minister, called it a “misplaced budgetary priority” as ZC look to market it as a destination venue for touring teams and the fans

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2025Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) construction of a flagship 10,000-seater stadium at Victoria Falls has come under severe criticism from the country’s former sports minister and mayor of Bulawayo, David Coltart.The stadium, named the Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium, is scheduled to be ready by August 2026 and is expected to host matches in the 2027 ODI World Cup. It has been called a “misplaced budgetary priority” by Coltart, even as ZC looks to market it as a destination venue for touring teams and the fans, especially from the countries that make up cricket’s Big Three.Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium has already had the main pitch planted, irrigation installed, and grass embankments completed. Work is now being done on the players’ pavilion and media centre, as well as with the water and power supply infrastructure.The development is fully funded by ZC and will cost the organisation US$12 million, money they believe they will recoup through the hosting of 2027 ODI World Cup matches and high-profile international visits. The confirmed fixtures and venues for the World Cup are yet to be decided, but Zimbabwe, who will co-host the tournament with South Africa and Namibia, will have at least two stadia allocated to them.Related

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Post-tournament, Zimbabwe’s first target for a Victoria Falls series could be England and their large contingent of travelling fans. If a tour can be agreed, it will end more than 20 years of England cricket’s absence from Zimbabwe. England last played in the country in 2004 but relations thawed when they hosted Zimbabwe for a Test in May, after 22 years.Even with England as a drawcard, Coltart’s concern is that ZC are putting all their eggs in one basket, and not a very big one when it comes to cricket development. “Victoria Falls is a small tourist town with a tiny cricket supporting population. The development of this boutique stadium is unprecedented worldwide,” he posted on Facebook. “In every other Test-playing nation, the primary investment by their Boards has been to invest in existing stadia in large population centers right across their countries.”It must be clear that this stadium is not primarily part of an objective to take the game to smaller centers to promote the game. It appears to be mainly to have a stadium in a tourist center to attract foreign teams who will come for reasons beyond the sole purpose of playing cricket.”Whilst this may be admirable if the financial health of ZC was good, it is a terribly misplaced budgetary priority given the fact that cricket venues in cities across the country outside of Harare are collapsing and there is, as stated above, a near total collapse of cricketing facilities at most Government schools countrywide.ZC’s flagship Fale Mosi-oa-Tunya International Cricket Stadium is expected to be ready by August 2026•Zimbabwe Cricket

“Unless we focus on the development of grassroots cricket and the game right across the country, our ability to play the game well at international level will continue to erode and ultimately the Victoria Falls stadium will become a white elephant.”ZC has not disguised that they are hoping to cash in on the tourist appeal of Victoria Falls, whose 108-metre-high and 1,708-metre-wide waterfalls attract around half a million people a year. However, they denied that it is their sole financial focus as they are spending a further US$6 million on other projects around the country.”Victoria Falls is our flagship project, but Zimbabwe Cricket is also investing heavily in other venues,” Tavengwa Mukhulani, ZC’s chairman, said. “At Harare Sports Club (HSC), we have almost completed construction of a new indoor facility, while we will also be reconstructing the famous Castle Corner grandstand and other areas.”Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is getting new floodlights this year, while Takashinga is being expanded with new pitches and practice nets. We have also modernised facilities in Masvingo while setting up our new academy facility at Ncema. We are also preparing new sites in Mutare, Gweru and Mhondoro-Ngezi. These investments are about building capacity across the country so that cricket truly becomes a national game.”It is the last of those points that Coltart also contested in his post, where he wrote, “it appears that there is a conscious decision by Zimbabwe Cricket to promote cricket in Harare but little elsewhere,” and referenced both fixtures and team selection.HSC, which is Zimbabwe’s only venue with floodlights, currently hosts all of Zimbabwe’s white-ball internationals, while Queens in Bulawayo has hosted their last nine home Tests. Zimbabwe have not won a Test at Queens since 2001, and have not won a home Test since beating Pakistan in Harare in 2013.Their latest string of defeats, which culminated with their heaviest Test loss by an innings and 301 runs to New Zealand earlier this month, has also prompted criticism of team selection. Coltart alleged this is regionally biased and speaks to the lack of development elsewhere in the country.Zimbabwe were handed a comprehensive defeat by New Zealand•Zimbabwe Cricket

“It is also increasingly reflected in the composition of National teams, with almost all the players selected coming from Harare. All but one player in the current senior men’s team comes from Harare,” he wrote. “All but two players in the current men’s Under-19 team come from Harare and its environs.”Is it really the case that the rest of the country isn’t producing players of international quality? Cricket is a national game and we can only compete well internationally if we promote the game fairly right across Zimbabwe.”In a press conference, Mukhulani admitted that there is “an issue with the talent pool,” but said Zimbabwe’s wretched run is the result of them playing much more cricket (11 Tests this year alone) against much stronger opposition. “Given where we were coming from, it was important that we challenge ourselves,” he said. “We give the boys the best opportunity to progress. And you can only do that when you play those who are better than you.”The media engagement took place on August 15, the same day as Coltart’s post went public and three days after ZC issued a press release condemning what they called a “smear campaign,” run by Coltart.Among the issues between the parties are historical disputes dating as far back as 2003 over Coltart’s role when Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands to protest what they called the death of democracy in Zimbabwe, both ZC’s and Coltart and relationship with the UK, and differences over team selection and environment and board composition.

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 tournament titled Lanka T10 League will be played over 12 days in June 2023

Madushka Balasuriya21-Nov-2022Sri Lanka Cricket has pencilled in June 2023 for the launch of its inaugural T10 league. Titled the Lanka T10 League, the tournament will also host both a men’s and women’s tournament in the same slot first – meaning matches would take place “concurrently,” potentially on alternating days, though SLC is yet to iron out the details.Related

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SLC also announced that six men’s teams and four women’s teams will take part, with each to be named after a Sri Lankan city – similar to those in the Lanka Premier League.While the precise dates and venues are yet to be finalised, it is expected that venues in Kandy and Hambantota will likely host the matches, while SLC anticipates substantial player registrations – over 1600, which was the number for the most recent Abu Dhabi T10 League – for the yet to be announced player draft.Each team will be allowed a 16-member squad, in which there can be a maximum of six foreign players.The tournament will be held over 12 days in June next year. However, going forward it is understood that SLC will look to hold it in December, with the LPL set for the August window.”Next year also we will have the LPL in December, but going forward we have reserved a window in August for that,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said. “So for next year, we will have the Lanka T10 in June and the LPL in December, but from 2024 onwards, the T10 tournament will move to December and the LPL to August.”Sri Lanka has long been a proponent of T10 cricket, with it being the first Full Member to sanction and endorse its players to participate in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Since then, the cricket boards in the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have followed suit.

India’s ODI captain had reached the top for the first time in 2005, more than 16 years ago

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2021Mithali Raj has reclaimed the No. 1 spot among women ODI batters more than 16 years after she had first reached the perch – it’s the eighth time at the top for her – after her aggregate of 206 runs in the 2-1 series defeat to England lifted her four spots in the latest update to the rankings.Related

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Raj had started the three-match series at eighth place, but the chart-topping batting performance, including a match-winning 75* in 86 balls in India’s win in the third ODI, put her at the top of the table for the first time since February 2018. The first time she was No. 1 was way back in April 2005 after she had scored 91* against New Zealand in the 50-over World Cup; the difference of more than 16 years at the No. 1 position is the longest for any woman batter. England’s Janette Brittin was at the top for the first time in 1984 and the last time in 1995, while New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley achieved the feat for the first time in 1987 and for the final time in 1997.Among the England players to have gained following the series win were batters Lauren Winfield-Hill and Sophia Dunkley and Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Nat Sciver and Sarah Glenn among bowlers.Winfield-Hill moved up 14 places to No. 41 after hitting 42 and 36, while Dunkley continued her rapid rise, rising 80 places to 76th after scoring 73* and 28. Left-arm spinner Ecclestone moved to a career-best sixth position, a gain of four spots, after returning 3 for 33 and 2 for 36, Cross’ 5 for 34 in the second ODI pushed her up from 25th to 18th position, while Sciver and Glenn both moved up one spot to 22nd and 43rd, respectively.Nida Dar recently became the first Pakistani – man or woman – to pick up 100 T20I wickets•IDI/Getty Images

Among the Indians, Deepti Sharma went up one place to No. 12 after picking up 3 for 47 in the last ODI, while Jhulan Goswami rose four places to No. 53 and, among batters, Shafali Verma’s 44 and 19 in the last two games helped her gain 49 places to reach 71st.T20Is: Nida Dar gets into top 15
Pakistan spinner Nida Dar, who became the first from her country to reach the milestone of 100 T20I wickets, moved from the 21st to the 15th position after finishing with four wickets in the three-match series in the West Indies.West Indies swept the three-match series, and that was reflected in the rise of Shamilia Connell and Stafanie Taylor among the bowlers and Chedean Nation and Kycia Knight among the batters.Connell picked up five wickets in the series, and moved up 14 slots to 27th place, while Taylor, who picked up a hat-trick in the final fixture on her way to 4 for 17, advanced ten places to reach 42nd position. Nation progressed 17 places to 61st and Knight 20 places to 71st.

With the slow pitches and key pace bowlers injured, the legspinner could have a big role in the knockouts

Daniel Brettig02-Mar-2020For most of this summer, Georgia Wareham could only have expected the most fringe-dwelling of T20 World Cup roles for Australia. After all, Ellyse Perry and Tayla Vlaeminck were set to blast opponents out with pace, Megan Schutt bewitching them with swing, and Jess Jonassen cleaning up whatever other resistance was left over.This script was largely followed in Australia’s tournament lead-up, as Wareham played only twice against India and England and then in one unofficial warm-up against South Africa before the tournament began. In a further dampener of expectations, the loss of Vlaeminck to a foot fracture saw Molly Strano vault into the team for the opener against India: unlike her key role in the Caribbean, Wareham was looking squarely at a lot of drinks running.

‘Best win of the tournament’ – Lanning

Meg Lanning called the four-run win over New Zealand in the must-win final group game Australia’s best win of the tournament. The loss to India earlier in the script had put Australia in a spot, and they rode on Beth Mooney’s 60 Georgia Wareham’s three-for to get to the semi-finals after a tight finish in Melbourne.
“Today’s performance was our best of the tournament so far,” Lanning said. “I don’t think we could be better placed for the semi-finals. It’s certainly nice to have a win against a really good team and I thought it was a really good performance. We started well and were able to calm the situation down early with Beth Mooney playing a really good hand.
“We were under the pump with the ball a little bit but I think we dealt with it extremely well to get over the line against a really good New Zealand team. Our first challenge for this tournament to get out of the group stage and to have done that now is certainly a nice feeling.”

Two things happened to change things drastically. First, Australia lost to India, and then nearly coughed up another defeat to Sri Lanka that would have meant instant elimination. Second, the pitches turned out to be far more suitable to Wareham’s art, rewarding spin bowlers who bowl stump to stump while varying their speed and degree of spin, while depriving batters of pace to work with or create angles through the field.If her first appearance against Bangladesh was not particularly memorable, Wareham produced her most incisive spell of the home season at the precise moment Australia needed it: even more so once Perry had limped out of the match and probably the Cup with a hamstring injury. At 20, Wareham has shown considerable evolution as a spin bowler even from the 2018 World Cup to now, and was too good for New Zealand’s key trio of Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine and Maddie Green as they contended with a steepling required run rate.Asked how she had summoned up this display with so little consistent cricket behind her, Wareham said she had recalled her important contributions to both the 2018 World Cup and last year’s West Indies tour, when she plucked four wickets while conceding just 46 runs from 11 overs in three T20Is.”It’s probably something I’ve looked back on and seen how I did things during that tournament and what worked for me,” Wareham said. “I think implementing those little things today helped out, and also I guess knowing that I can play that sort of role in the team because I did that in the last World Cup, it gives me a bit of confidence and it definitely helped out today.”Things started to turn for Wareham when she and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy correctly deduced that Bates was lbw to a skidder after trying a pull shot. “I was confident it was out, but Midge [Healy] had a pretty good say and that usually helps,” Wareham said.The captain Meg Lanning added: “We were talking about it maybe being too high. As soon as we felt that she hadn’t hit it, it was worth a gamble I guess and it paid off as well.”Devine’s exit, well stumped off a legbreak outside the off stump just as the game was starting to tighten, was the result of a more concerted plan. “It’s probably something that’s been in the works for a little bit,” Wareham said. “Just planning around if I see the batter coming at me just chucking one wide, it worked out for me today, which was good, but it’s been tough going and it was finally good to get one.”All this added up to the pivotal spell of the game, and perhaps also a blueprint for Australia to take forward into the semi-final and, if they get there, the final of the tournament they were widely expected to win. Lacking the pace of Vlaeminck and Perry, Lanning will likely need to call on Wareham, Jonassen and maybe even a third spin bowler – Sophie Molineux if fit, or someone like Amanda Wellington coming in from outside the squad – to deny opponents the chance to use pace onto the bat.”As the tournament goes on I think the wickets are played on a lot more and they become a bit slower and lower, and pace off the ball makes it more difficult for the batters to create it,” Lanning said. “So that seemed to work for us today, and I guess it just depends on where you’re playing – the SCG we’re not really sure what we’re going to get, there’s been no games on there so far, so we’ll have to look at that. But I think spin’s played a massive role across T20 cricket for a long time now and when you are under the pump as batters and you’ve got to force the issue a bit, it is more difficult to do it against the slower pace.Georgia Wareham celebrates after a successful review•Getty Images

“We’ve got 15 players here who can do a job and you need a squad to win a World Cup. You can’t rely on two players and the same XI each game, and we’re going to have to use the depth we have got, we’ve said we’ve got a lot of depth, I believe that, and we’re just going to have to use it. That’s just the reality of it, in elite sport you get injuries and things like that … I’ve got full confidence that any player who comes in can play a role and we’re just going to have to get through it and play maybe slightly differently, but that’s fine, we’ve got to adapt.”Having finished second best to Wareham to ensure her side’s elimination, Devine admitted that it had been a different feeling losing to an Australian side relying so much more on spin than speed. “I think it is, and I think as well the pitch conditions certainly haven’t been what we expected when we first came over to Australia,” she said. “As soon as we knew the World Cup was here, we thought we’d get nice, fast, bouncy wickets and probably haven’t had those, although today’s wicket was a lot better, had a bit more carry and bounce in it.”But spin has played a massive part throughout the tournament and it will continue to do so moving into the finals series. Certainly with Australia losing Tayla early in the competition, I know that was a massive blow fro them, but we also know their depth, spoken a lot about with the bat but certainly with the ball, the way Georgia Wareham stood up today was fantastic.”Megan Schutt as well – geez, I hate her sometimes! – but they’re world-class players and I think that’s the great thing about Australia, I don’t like blowing them up too much because they’ve got big enough heads already, but it doesn’t matter who on the day, someone always seems to step up for them.”From the moment they lost Vlaeminck, to the opening loss against India, the near-death experience against Sri Lanka and now the loss of Perry, Australia are becoming accustomed to doing things according to plans B and C. Wareham showed that, in her case at least, the back-ups are ready, willing, and most importantly able.

AB de Villiers’ arrival is not just a middle-order boost for Rangpur Riders, who are desperate for a win after two close losses, but also a sigh of relief for the entire league

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2019AB de Villiers’ arrival is not just a middle-order boost for Rangpur Riders, who are desperate for a win after two close losses, but also a sigh of relief for the entire league. The BPL is about to lose David Warner, the second of its marquee players to leave midway through the competition due to injury, after Steven Smith. But with de Villiers around for at least six matches, there will certainly be hope for bigger crowds in the stadiums.Having arrived on Thursday, de Villiers had his first hit for Riders who take on Warner’s Sylhet Sixers on Saturday, a game they must win to regain composure going into the last stage of the league phase. De Villiers, who joins the likes of Chris Gayle, Alex Hales and Rilee Rossouw in the Riders top order, said that they are looking to recover in the tournament.”It is a fantastic squad when looking at the names,” de Villiers said after arriving in Sylhet. “It is a really well-balanced team. I know the Rangpur Riders have had some success in the past. If we can get bit of a run going towards the latter stages of the tournament, the last six games in the pool stage, hopefully we do qualify for the knockouts.”De Villiers said that the BPL will be a tournament that eases him into the new T20 season, as he is also signed up to play in the PSL and IPL in the coming months.”I have played a bit of cricket in the Mzansi League in South Africa,” he said. “You can call it the start of my new season. I have to stay fit and busy. I love coming to Bangladesh. I haven’t been here for a while.”I have heard good things about the BPL. I have asked guys at the IPL what it’s like, and they said quality of cricket is fantastic. It is a tournament that’s growing from strength to strength every year. I am very happy to be part of it this year.”De Villiers said he did not mind a bit of turn on the pitches, although the surfaces during this tournament haven’t made too many batsmen happy. “The wickets here are always good. You get a little bit of turn. I don’t mind.”I have always enjoyed wickets that turn a bit, and then you get some good wickets as well. I have seen our last game against Sylhet. The wicket played pretty well. Hoping for that again tomorrow.”De Villiers arrived in Bangladesh with form on his side, having made 282 runs with a 162.06 strike rate in the Mzansi Super League. He remained realistic about his performance in a new competition, but didn’t rule out the big hits.”It motivates me to go out and play well,” he stated. “I have expectations throughout my career, so it is nothing new to me. The game of cricket is up and down. You can’t perform every game. I am also realistic about the sport. I don’t expect too much of myself. But I do expect some fireworks from time to time.”

Mahmudullah top-scored with a 44-ball 56 to help Khulna ace their 167 chase, consigning Rajshahi Kings to their fifth loss in seven games this season

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRaton Gomes/BCB

Ariful Haque smashed an unbeaten 19-ball 43 to lift Khulna Titans to their fourth win of the season from an improbable situation against Rajshahi Kings in Dhaka. With 36 required to win off 18 balls with three wickets in hand, Ariful hammered all 36 runs to consign Rajshahi to their fifth loss in seven games this season.Chasing 167, Khulna were led by captain Mahmudullah’s 44-ball 56, which featured eight fours and a six. His dismissal though, in the 14th over with 60 runs still to get, sparked a collapse that saw Khulna slip to 128 for 8, before Ariful’s match-changing cameo.Belligerent fiftiesRajshahi had slipped to 21 for 3 in three overs, after they were asked to bat first. But Dwayne Smith, playing his first game of the season, and Mushfiqur Rahim kept attacking. Smith was particularly effective on the leg side, frequently pulling and heaving boundaries in the arc between square leg and long-on. He struck seven fours and four sixes in his 36-ball 62.Mushfiqur hit a 33-ball 55, that included four fours and three sixes, before he holed out to deep midwicket in the 16th over. From that point, Rajshahi could only add 25 runs in 25 balls to finish at 166 for 8. Junaid Khan finished with 4 for 27 in his first BPL game of the season.A boundary an overMohammad Sami took two early wickets in the chase to restrict Khulna to 13 for 2. Mahmudullah and Rilee Rossouw were hardly deterred, continuing to attack to capitalise on the Powerplay. Khulna hit 13 boundaries in the first 10 overs, at least one in each over, to gain control of the game. However, they lost wickets in clumps right through their innings, as Rajshahi quickly gained the ascendancy.Changing the gameWith 36 to win and Junaid Khan at the other end, Ariful was forced to hog the strike. In the 18th over, he hit three boundaries – two fours and a six – off Hossain Ali through mid-off, which cut the equation down to 18 runs off 12 balls.He then faced all six balls of the penultimate over, bowled by Sami, taking him for nine runs, including a sweep over square leg. Smith, defending eight off the final over, erred with two straight full tosses. Ariful heaved the first over square leg for six and scooped the second for four through fine leg.

Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett look to be the likely beneficiaries of the decision by Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan to miss the tour of Bangladesh

Andrew Miller16-Sep-2016Surrey offspinner Gareth Batty has been given the chance for a shock return to Test cricket, more than a decade after his most recent appearance in 2005, after being named in a 17-man squad for next month’s tour of Bangladesh.Batty, who will be 39 by the time the first Test gets underway in Chittagong on October 20, will travel as back-up to England’s frontline spin pairing of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, but with five Tests against India following directly on from the Bangladesh leg, he has been given a golden opportunity to add to the 11 wickets he claimed in his previous seven Test appearances.Batty will compete for a spin-bowling berth with his Surrey team-mate Zafar Ansari who might have made his Test debut in the UAE last winter, but for a horrific dislocated thumb that he suffered while fielding at Old Trafford on the very day of his call-up last year. Despite another injury-dogged season, in which he has claimed 22 wickets at 31.40, England’s selectors admire his all-round potential, and he would retain valuable balance in England’s batting ranks if he were offered his opportunity.”Selecting four spinners for the Test matches will give the coaches and captain plenty of options,” James Whitaker, England’s national selector, said. “Alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, we are excited about the qualities that Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty bring to the squad. Zafar has great potential both with bat and ball and Gareth’s experience as one of the country’s best slow bowlers and his ability to be effective in subcontinent conditions will be beneficial this winter.”At the top of the order, Lancashire’s Haseeb Hameed has, as widely anticipated, been named in his first Test squad and is the favourite to become Alastair Cook’s latest opening partner – a decision that was aided by Alex Hales’ unavailability due to the security situation in Bangladesh.Aged just 19 and with fewer than 20 first-class games behind him, Haseeb’s selection would, in some ways, constitute a gamble. But he has impressed with his tight technique and unflustered temperament – his director of cricket at Lancashire, Ashley Giles, compares his hatred of losing his wicket as similar to that of Jonathan Trott’s – and England’s head coach, Trevor Bayliss, is understood to have been impressed by the footage he has seen of him in action.”Haseeb Hameed, for someone so young, has had an impressive season in the Specsavers County Championship with Lancashire,” said Whitaker. “He has been a consistent performer and his four centuries, against some of the best bowling attacks in the country are testament to his outstanding temperament and attitude. We feel he fully deserves an opportunity to compete for a place at the top of the order in our Test side.”However, Hameed will face competition for the opening role from Ben Duckett, the Northamptonshire batsman, who is also named in the 17-man squad following a stellar season in which he has amassed more than 2700 runs in all forms of cricket.Duckett may seem more likely to make his mark in the three-match ODI series that gets underway at the start of October, when he is expected to open the batting in Hales’ absence, alongside Jason Roy, with Joe Root also rested from that leg of England’s winter.However, it has also been announced that Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, will miss England’s two two-day warm-up matches in Bangladesh, scheduled to start on October 14 and October 16, to attend the birth of his second child. Although Cook is planning on flying out a week ahead of the rest of the squad before returning to Bangladesh in time for the first Test in Chittagong, which starts on October 20, his absence from the warm-ups could mean a straight shoot-out between the two newcomers, who can expect to open the batting together.”Ben Duckett merits his call-up to both squads after showing his qualities as an attacking batsman, both in the county game and for the England Lions,” Whitaker said. “Throughout the campaign, he has scored heavily for Northamptonshire in first-class cricket, including two double-hundreds. His 220 not out for the England Lions in a 50-over game against Sri Lanka A earlier this summer was very special and we look forward to seeing Ben continue his development at the highest level in the game.”Jos Buttler, England’s stand-in one-day captain, is back in England’s Test squad for the first time since last winter’s tour of UAE, despite having played a solitary red-ball match in 12 months, and will travel as reserve wicketkeeper to the incumbent, Jonny Bairstow, having seen off the claims of Surrey’s emerging star, Ben Foakes.There is a recall, too, for Durham’s Mark Wood, who underwent ankle surgery after experiencing problems during the Test series against Pakistan last winter, but who has been in scintillating form since his return to action, particularly in white-ball cricket. With his ability to bowl in excess of 90mph, and find reverse swing, he will doubtless prove an asset on the slow pitches of the subcontinent, even though it is unlikely he will feature in all seven of England’s Tests. Steven Finn is also back in the Test squad, having proven his fitness in recent weeks since tweaking a hamstring in the final Test of the summer, at The Oval in August.It has also been announced that Ottis Gibson will stand in for Paul Farbrace as Bayliss’s assistant during the Bangladesh Test series, before returning to their posts for the India leg of the tour. Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, will assist the England management for the two Tests in Bangladesh, while the former England ODI captain Paul Collingwood and Andy Hurry, the head coach of the England Under-19s, will link up with the squad for the ODIs.”After a summer of progress at home across all formats, we can expect another test of our credentials this autumn,” Whitaker said. “The challenge we face will be very different and the structure of our squads reflects the conditions we expect to encounter in Bangladesh.”England Test squad for Bangladesh: Alastair Cook (Essex) captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Zafar Ansari (Surrey), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Gareth Batty (Surrey), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Haseeb Hameed (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)England ODI squad for Bangladesh: Jos Buttler (Lancashire) captain, Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)