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AB de Villiers has refused to commit his long-term future to Test cricket despite being named South Africa’s stand-in captain

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg13-Jan-2016AB de Villiers has refused to commit his long-term future to Test cricket despite being named South Africa’s stand-in captain and has warned that leading players will leave international cricket behind unless there are significant changes within the game. De Villiers, who was reported to be considering early retirement at the start of the England series when he also spoke about managing his workload, has once again emphasised the need for time off and explained his own uncertainty in the current set-up.”There have been a few rumours floating around, and in most rumours there is always a little bit of truth,” de Villiers said. “It’s not just in the last while; it’s for two or three years I’ve been searching for the right answers, to play a little bit less cricket in one way or another, to keep myself fresh and to keep enjoying the game. Every now and then in the past few years I’ve found myself on the pitch not enjoying myself as much as I should be, and that raises concerns within myself. I’ve been searching for answers and speaking to people and obviously that’s leaked a bit.”That also means de Villiers is not sure whether he will want to lead South Africa’s Test team permanently, even though he earlier said that being given the captaincy was the “fulfilment of a lifelong dream.” The decision on who will take over as long-term successor to Hashim Amla, who stepped down after the Newlands Test, will be made during the winter break which is also when de Villiers will decide on his own future.”I’m still very committed, to the job I’m not sure – obviously the two Test matches for now are all I’m focusing on and then there’s a nice big break of six months before we play Test cricket again. Lots of things can happen before then so I don’t want to commit myself too much to everything before that. But for now, I’m as committed as I can be and very, very hungry to make a success of the next two Test matches,” de Villiers said.Asked what he will consider in that period, de Villiers was unsure but mentioned the things that he would still like to achieve as an international cricketer, which stretch across various formats.”I honestly don’t know. But I’ve got some good advice around me, good people who have my best interests at heart, and we’ll just try to make the right kind of call on which direction I want to go,” he said. “My focus is on international cricket and I want to play for as long as possible. I’ve got dreams of winning World Cups and maintaining this No.1 status in Test cricket for as long as possible. Obviously I want to get my experience across to some of the youngsters. There are so many dreams that I’d like to follow. I’d just like to sit down, take some time away from the game and discuss all these things and make the right call.”For the next four months, de Villiers will find it difficult to get away from the game. After the Tests against England, South Africa play five ODIs and two T20s against the same opponents and three T20s against Australia before the World T20 in March and early April, which will be closely followed by the IPL.De Villiers is contracted to Royal Challengers Bangalore until the end of 2017 on a deal worth Rs 9.5 crore (US$1.5 million). At today’s exchange rate, that is 23.45 million rand, which is at least ten times more than his national contract which is believed to be between 2 and 3 million rand. The financial implications of that gulf against the backdrop of the congested international schedule is the biggest challenge facing the games’ global organisers, according to de Villiers.”I think it’s a growing concern for the ICC and they’ve been talking about it for the last few years to find the right structure to keep all the guys fresh. Obviously international cricket is the main cricket you want to play, especially Test cricket. It’s the main format and we all want to be part of that. There are huge traditions and culture in this format. I believe there are one or two areas where we can improve, and make sure that we keep the guys focus in the right place,” de Villiers said.”Obviously there are big tournaments going on around the world. Some you can’t ignore because financially they make a huge difference in our lives, and obviously you’ve got to look after that side of it as well. International cricket is the main one you want to play, and one or two things will have to change in order for that to happen.”De Villiers said the ICC have conducted surveys to ascertain player concerns. “I have seen some changes,” he said. “But there are definitely one or two that need some more attention.”His recommendation is for established players to have some leeway so that they can avoid being overworked and continue to enjoy the game. “One of those are the schedules of some of the older guys, to make sure they keep their focus on the right places. I don’t know what the answers are, I just know there are quite a few guys feeling that we’re playing a little too much cricket at times. We just need to get the focus right.”

Yorkshire and Lancashire fought out a Roses tie in front of Yorkshire’s first capacity crowd at Headingley for nine years

David Hopps at Headingley05-Jul-2013Yorkshire 152 for 6 (Jaques 66*) tied with Lancashire 152 for 5 (Croft 42*, Smith 35, Pyrah 3-15)
ScorecardRyan Sidebottom held off Lancashire’s challenge as the Roses match was tied in front of 15,000 at Headingley•Getty Images

This was an uplifting evening for the neutral, but this was also a Roses match, where there is no such thing as no man’s land. So before extolling the joys of a capacity crowd at Headingley, entertained to the utmost, it is best to record without further ado that the result was a tie. Neither captain looked particularly happy. But Yorkshire, under the cosh for much of the night, will feel they got away with it.With three runs needed from the final ball, and Ryan Sidebottom bent upon rounding off a final over awash with perfect yorkers, Steven Croft could only squeeze two runs to deep cover. Sidebottom punched the air as if in victory. Yorkshire have yet to win in three goes, Lancashire just avoided three defeats in a week, but both will feel their chance of qualification from North Group is not yet extinguished.That is what matters most, and it would have mattered just as much if it was played in front of one man and his dog.But it was not. It was hotly contested in front of Yorkshire’s first capacity crowd for nine years. It stated that county cricket, repositioned intelligently, can have a future. They turned out at Headingley even though Yorkshire took the field without their England triumvirate of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow or Tim Bresnan and, as well as that, are trying to survive throughout this Friends Life t20 season without an overseas player.There was controversy, too, in a broiling finale, fought out between two vulnerable batting sides which did not make the most of a favourable surface. Gareth Cross will surely face the wrath of the ECB for his dissent after he was entirely deceived by a loopy slower ball from Liam Plunkett which passed him around waist high. Cross thought it was substantially higher – and therefore should have been called a no ball – but he was so disorientated by the delivery his opinion did not carry much weight.Glen Chapple, Lancashire’s captain, said: “Gareth’s dismissal looks a bit high. We have a third umpire and I don’t see why he was not used. We are playing some decent cricket but we need to win some games now.” Andrew Gale, his Yorkshire opposite number, said: “At halfway we would have regarded that as a point gained. But Ryan nailed two yorkers at the death; he is one of the best yorker bowlers in the world.”Croft’s unbeaten 42 from 28 balls fueled Lancashire’s stuttering innings. He averages more than 30 in T20, with a strike rate of 120-plus. His six over midwicket from Plunkett’s full toss left Lancashire needing ten off Sidebottom’s final over; his edge through the slips, perilously close to off stump, cut the requirement to five from four. But with 15,000 spectators screaming, Sidebottom hit the blockhole when it most mattered.But there is a bigger picture. Around the country, in gorgeous weather, the crowds came out in force. There was even a capacity crowd at Derby for the East Midlands derby, a reward for a club operating with good habits, and at The Oval. After ten years, despite the usual media disinclination to cover the tournament extensively, a few days of sunshine have been enough to bring out the crowds. Perhaps next season’s switch to regular Friday nights might yet have a chance of success.Tom Smith’s pinch hitting should have set Lancashire on course for victory. He slapped an over of length balls from Brooks for 24, enough for the bowler to slip his headband over his eyes in disbelief. But Richard Pyrah replaced Brooks, had Smith excellently caught at mid-on by Plunkett and then bowled Simon Katich and Karl Brown. His 3 for 15 won the Man of the Match award. As for the Duke of York Cup, awarded to the winners, presumably it went back into the Duke’s attic.It was a wonderful Headingley surface, testimony again to the groundsmanship skills of Andy Fogarty, possessing the pace and bounce that T20 needs to maximise the entertainment. By halfway, Yorkshire were restless at 69 for 2, Gale briefly looking pumped up, as a Yorkshire captain should when the public, for once, lives up to the folklore by turning out, before he was deflated by a lackadaisical wide half volley by Tom Smith.Lancashire’s spinners strangled Yorkshire in mid-innings. Arron Lilley, a 22-year-old from Tameside, was on debut for Lancashire and collected his first T20 wicket when he ended Adil Rashid’s fussing lbw on the reverse sweep. There was minimal turn, but Yorkshire managed less than a run a ball against 10 overs of spin. The 100 limped along with only 29 balls remaining. Yorkshire would not have fancied their chances at that point. But then Roses matches are not easily read.

Paul Horton carried his bat for Lancashire as the champions built a valuable 68-run lead in the brief spell of play possible between the rain

Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street31-May-2012
ScorecardPaul Horton became just the sixth Lancashire batsman since the war to carry his bat through a completed innings•Getty Images

Match-winning innings come in many guises. Some feature all-guns blazing attack, others are filled with little but attritional obduracy.After a day which contained just nine overs’ cricket, it is still far too early to tell if Paul Horton’s 225-minute 49 not out will come to be classed as the patient vigil which set up Lancashire’s first Championship win of the season. All we can assert is that the opener’s patient skill helped Lancashire build a 68-run first-innings lead and that at least one or two Durham batsmen will need to exhibit similar technical competence on the third day of this match if that lead is not to prove as decisive as it already appears in a low-scoring game.The Durham top order may need a dollop of luck too. Horton was bowled by a no-ball when on 6 and dropped at slip on 11. When the ball is seaming around and swinging you need the breaks to go your way. However,
Durham head coach Geoff Cook might be quietly reminding his players in the morning that it also helps if you don’t attempt brainless slashes at balls that barely pitch on the cut strip. These conditions are difficult, but as Paul Collingwood, Luke Procter and Kyle Hogg have also proved, they are not unplayable. They just require a good technique, a sound temperament and a little good fortune. In other words, proper batting.”The ball has swung,” Horton said. “But I think on this pitch it’s also seamed against the swing. If both seam and swing go the same way, you can line it up. If one goes one way and the other another, that’s quite tough. Graham Onions was seaming the ball both ways at good pace, which was tough. Luke Procter swung the ball both ways for us, which made it tough as well. The bowlers who have had most success in this game have moved the ball both ways in their own fashion.”The facts of the day are briefly told. Lancashire’s last two wickets added 29 runs to the overnight total, Hogg making a resourceful 33 before being snared by Steve Harmison, and Onions taking Simon Kerrigan’s wicket to finish with 5 for 43. The Durham seamer may not win his ninth Test cap next Thursday but he has looked an international cricketer in this match. The England selectors have a severe embarrassment of seam-bowling riches. Durham’s second innings lasted just three balls before the rain, which had delayed the start of play until 3.30pm, began scudding across the ground once again. This time it did not relent.Yet the day carried enough historical significance to have more than one Lancastrian reminisicing about the exploits of Winston Place and Jack Ikin. Horton is only the sixth Lancashire batsman since the war to carry his bat through a completed innings and the first to manage it since Alec Swann achieved the feat against Hampshire at Old Trafford in 2002. However, he has a long way to go before equalling the remarkable exploits of RG Barlow, who batted through 11 innings. In 1882 Barlow opened the innings and was 5 not out when Lancashire were dismissed for 69. When he was becalmed for 34 minutes on 11, a similar statistical notoriety seemed to lie in wait for Horton.”I can’t remember if I’ve carried my bat before, but I didn’t want to carry it for 11 not out,” he said. “It was just about playing my way. I wanted to get over the new ball and see if we could build a lead. I thought Kyle played well, so did Luke Procter and even Simon Kerrigan hung around. Everyone chipped in. It doesn’t matter what I get, it’s what the team does.”Just so, of course. And the question Durham supporters will be asking on the third morning is whether their own batsmen can apply themselves with the self-discipline that will be required if they are to escape from the bottom of the table.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws got their Friends Life t20 campaign off to a winning start with a 38-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons

03-Jun-2011
ScorecardNottinghamshire Outlaws got their Friends Life t20 campaign off to a winning start with a 38-run victory over Derbyshire Falcons thanks to a brisk 60 from skipper David Hussey and four wickets from fast bowler Andy Carter.Having been invited to bat first on a gloriously sunny evening at Trent Bridge, Nottinghamshire posted 184 for 6 from their 20 overs, with Riki Wessels hitting 30 off 19 balls to add to Hussey’s 45-ball knock, which included five fours and a six.Derbyshire started their reply solidly with a 49-run opening partnership between Wes Durston and New Zealand international Martin Guptill before the Kiwi was spectacularly bowled by Carter for 25.From there the visitors fell further and further behind the required run-rate and despite 46 from Durston and Garry Park’s unbeaten 36, the Falcons could only finish on 146 for eight. Carter, playing in only his third Twenty20 match, finished with 4 for 20 from his four overs, the third best bowling return for Nottinghamshire in the competition’s history.The hosts began their innings in quiet fashion until Alex Hales hit two boundaries off Chesney Hughes in the third over, while Wessels greeted the arrival of Tim Groenewald by slog-sweeping the seamer for six over square leg.Groenewald then had Hales caught at mid-wicket and the left-arm spin of Tom Knight accounted for Adam Voges, caught by a diving Wayne Madsen in the covers. Wessels was yorked by Jonathan Clare to bring Hussey to the wicket. The Australian added 49 in five overs with Samit Patel (26), finally being bowled in the final over by Steffan Jones, who also had Steven Mullaney lbw. Chris Read finished 21 not out.Carter was hit for two fours in his opening over by Guptill but returned to bowl the Kiwi in the sixth over – the first of four clean bowled wickets by the paceman. Derbyshire’s hopes rested on Durston repeating his heroics from last year’s fixture, when the 30-year-old smashed 111, but when he was stumped by Read off Hussey’s off-spin, the game was up, despite two sixes and two fours from Park.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks lost six wickets for 15 runs in 26 balls as they suffered a 69-run defeat against Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Northamptonshire Steelbacks lost six wickets for 15 runs in 26 balls as they suffered a 69-run defeat against Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford. The visitors had been 42 for 1 in the sixth over as they replied to Lancashire’s 157 for 5, but slumped to 57 for 7 in the 10th.Glen Chapple and Simon Kerrigan claimed two wickets apiece in the spell as the likes of Mal Loye, Andrew Hall and Nicky Boje all fell. Left-arm spinner Kerrigan finished with 3 for 17 from four overs as the visitors were bowled out for just 88 with 13 balls of their innings remaining.The hosts, boosted by Tom Smith’s career-best 67 off 47 balls, have now won both their North Division matches. Lancashire, who elected to bat, reached 50 after eight overs for the loss of Paul Horton before Smith reached his second 50 in Twenty20 matches off 32 balls.The left-hander, who hit 44 in his side’s opening night win at Durham last Friday, later scooped Chaminda Vaas for four but was dismissed next ball as he was stumped off a Vaas wide to leave the score at 101 for 2 in the 15th over. He was soon followed back to the pavilion by Simon Katich (26) when he was bowled through the gate by the Sri Lankan.Smith and Katich had shared 69 for the second wicket in 10 overs but Stephen Moore and Steven Croft kept the innings motoring as they united for an entertaining fourth-wicket partnership. Croft had a bit of luck as he was bowled off a Hall no-ball on 17 in the 18th and completed the captain’s misery when he holed out to deep square leg off the ensuing free hit.The pair put on 39 in less than four overs before Croft (19) presented Vaas with his third wicket when he found Nicky Boje at deep midwicket. Vaas, the pick of the Northants bowling, ended with figures of 3 for 32 from his four overs, while Moore finished 27 not out off 16 balls.Northants openers Loye and Lou Vincent, the club’s stand-in overseas signing, took the score to 23 after two overs of their reply. Vincent, who spent the latter half of the 2008 season at Old Trafford, has signed for the Steelbacks for 10 days until Zimbabwean Elton Chigumbura arrives.But he was on his way back for nine when he slapped Sajid Mahmood straight to Katich at point in the third over. Ex-Red Rose favourite Loye nailed two switch hits for four off Kerrigan in the second over and made 22 off 16 balls.But he was the first of the six wickets to fall in quick succession when he was well caught by Moore at midwicket off Chapple. Hall fell in the same over, Alex Wakely was bowled by Stephen Parry and Boje run out by Mark Chilton.Kerrigan then had Paul Harrison caught behind and Vaas caught at midwicket in the 10th over before O’Brien (19) reverse swept him to Chilton at short third man to leave the score at 69 for 8 in the 12th. Parry (2 for 12 from four overs) and Croft added further wickets to end the contest.

He has 14 days to respond to charges that related to international games and LPL matches

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Aug-2024Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been charged by the ICC for breaching three counts of the anti-corruption code relating to corrupt approaches in international matches and the Lanka Premier League.According to an ICC statement Jayawickrama, 25, was charged under articles 2.4.4 and 2.4.7 of the code as follows:

• Failing to report to the Anti-Corruption Unit, without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received to carry out fixing in future international matches.
• Failing to report to the Anti-Corruption Unit, without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received in which he was asked to approach another player, on a corrupter’s behalf, to carry out fixing in the 2021 Lanka Premier League.
• Obstructing the investigation by deleting messages in which the approaches and offers to engage in corrupt conduct were made.

Jayawickrama has 14 days from August 6 to respond to the charges. In accordance with the anti-corruption code, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the ICC have agreed that the ICC will take action concerning the LPL charge alongside the charges relating to international matches.Having made his international debut in a Test against Bangladesh in April 2021, Jayawickrama has played five Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in a T20I series at home against Australia in 2022.In LPL 2021, Jayawickrama was a part of the Jaffna Kings side that won its second title. He played one match that season, taking two wickets. In LPL 2024, he turned out for Dambulla Sixers.

Aches perhaps for wannabe Ashes keeper, but pains reserved for Yorkshire as Glamorgan take control

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-May-2023There can’t be much Jonny Bairstow and the Archbishop of Canterbury have in common. But for the next few days at least, their hands are of great interest.Different levels, of course. The duties in Westminister Abbey of popping a crown on the head of King Charles III ranks higher than standing up to the stumps for Ben Coad. But even two days earlier and some 195 miles north of Saturday’s Coronation, a different pair of king-making hands were being scrutinised.Thursday’s opening day to this Division Two bout between Yorkshire and Glamorgan by another name was The Much-Anticipated Return of Bairstow, Even with two teams desperate for a first win of the season, this felt as much about one man’s return as it did about a county looking for light to break through the years of dark cloud. And to arrive at the ground in the morning was to know the bright spots were very much to do with one son’s return. Nine months from suffering multiple fractures in his left leg in a freak accident on a golf course, 2022’s Bazball totem was back.It was, in many ways, the perfect scenario. The buzz around the stands dulled slightly when Yorkshire decided to bowl first after winning the toss. And while it was a shame to have to wait to watch Bairstow bat, more insightful was the 71.5 overs spent keeping wicket. Even after a spectacular last summer – 681 runs, four hundreds and an average of 75.66 – his work behind the stumps between now and Tests against Ireland and Australia will guarantee he reclaims a spot in the XI he feels is rightfully his. Ultimately, by taking it away from Ben Foakes.That Yorkshire followed up their removal of Glamorgan for 245 with 62 for 5 of their own leaves more out there for Bairstow. Originally carded at five, he flexed seniority to call on two nightwatchman – Mickey Edwards and Matt Fisher – before having to walk out at 6:36pm for the final two overs anyway. Presumably sending out a third would have been poor form. Either way, a few hours of vintage on Friday Jonny will echo far beyond this match.Before the two sacrificial lambs were three catches of varying degrees of difficulty across a keeping performance that was surprisingly assured. The aches will no doubt come, but there were no pains evident in real-time.The first dismissal got him up and about, in amongst it a matter of minutes after the team huddled beyond the boundary’s edge. Four balls in, a comically loose drive from visiting skipper David Lloyd gave Bairstow an excuse to test out his side-to-side, shuffling to his right to complete the dismissal.Number two gave us a sense of his athleticism, diving to his left to take a spectacular grab with his left-hand a matter of inches off the turf after George Hill had taken Kiran Carlson’s inside edge. The third was as vital to Yorkshire’s cause as it was to the Ashes narrative: Marnus Labuschagne feathering an edge off Hill for 65.The Australian came to the crease with nothing on the board, and together with Sam Northeast dragged Glamorgan out of the Coad-induced hole of 1 for 2. The pair made 83 between them before Northeast, the aggressor, was sent back by Edwards three deliveries after the lunch break, unable to get his bat (and handle) out of a delivery that exploded off a length. Soon afterwards, Coad left the field – this time the explosion was in his groin.Labuschagne had played possum early doors. He took lunch on 19 from 101 deliveries but soon moved to a second half-century of the season just 32 deliveries later. He had just started looking like Test cricket’s number one ranked batter when Hill got one to hold its line off the seam from the Rugby Stand End.This was the one that drew the most emotion from Bairstow, and not just because of their nationalities. Bairstow had been getting in Labuschagne’s ear since the end of the 21st over when the right-hander, on 10, seemingly edged Edwards behind. Labuschagne’s unperturbed demeanour worked well enough to keep the umpire’s finger down, much to the annoyance of the fielding team and those in the stands.That should have been 42 for three, and who knows what that might have meant for Glamorgan this early on in the piece. Contributions from Timm van der Gugten and Billy Root got them within five of what they considered a par first innings score. To have led by 194 with five Yorkshire wickets already is sure more than they would have expected, considering how the day began.Though even Thursday’s conclusion gives the scoreboard an artificial look. Both of Bairstow’s nightwatchmen fell in the space of two balls, meaning he had to come out at anyway under floodlights and with Labuschagne taking the opportunity to return serve now the shoe was on the other foot. Barring a stifled lbw shout second ball, it was largely without issue. A nudge around the corner off his fourth delivery face brought a first first-class run since 49 against South Africa last August, nine months ago.Nine months or “36 weeks” as Bairstow put it on Instagram on Wednesday night. The content of the post spoke of pain, emotions and unanswerable questions during this long stretch on the sideline. What those closest to him knew was distilled in those 115 words for the rest of us.Privately, the 33-year-old’s angst is as much about the crushing disappointment of losing it all when he finally felt settled as it is about having to watch the last six months from home. The T20 World Cup win, the historic Test series in Pakistan, the rise of Harry Brook from place-holder to wunderkind. There’s FOMO, and then there’s whatever Bairstow went through.There were a few byes, notably one for four which wobbled devilishly past his right after sending him left, but nothing worrisome. At times, he was childlike, at one point running over to an advertising board blown onto the field and lying across it, looking to the stands for laughs like this was panto. It duly came.This is only day one of his return, but to see him with a smile on his face, even as he walked off sheepishly at the end, felt like a positive step forward to all this. Even if it moves us closer to an awkward call for the Ashes, that Bairstow is back is only a boost for English cricket.

Lanning, Healy among those expected to stay in UK after Commonwealth Games

Matt Roller21-Feb-2022Australia’s leading female players look set to take part in the Hundred in 2022 after pulling out of the competition’s first season.Eleven Australia Women’s internationals withdrew from their contracts for the inaugural edition of the Hundred in 2021 after confirmation that a strict two-week quarantine would be required on their return home, eating into preparations for their series against India in September.While strong contingents of Indian and South African internationals featured in the competition, the majority of the Australia players who withdrew were replaced by compatriots who were not part of the national set-up, meaning the Hundred’s star power took a hit.However, ESPNcricinfo understands that several leading players – including Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning and Tahlia McGrath, the breakout star of the Ashes – have signed up for the 2022 season. Australia players are significantly more likely to honour their contracts this year after salaries were doubled and most quarantine requirements on returning home were either dropped or eased.Related

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• Women's Hundred 2022 trimmed due to Commonwealth Games clash

The women’s Hundred starts on August 11, four days after the final of the T20 competition at the Commonwealth Games at Edgbaston, and the ECB are hopeful that the world’s best players will stay in the country for the following few weeks, with the Hundred running until September 3.Beth Barrett-Wild, the head of the women’s Hundred, has previously outlined the ECB’s hopes that the schedule would help attract top overseas talent. “We didn’t quite end up with the original line-up of overseas stars we thought we were going to have, especially in the women’s competition,” she told the podcast last year.”We were due to have Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning, Beth Mooney and co. Hopefully, we’ll see them back next year. I think with the Commonwealth Games happening immediately prior to the Hundred, we’re optimistic that we’ll get into a good place with that.”With India due to tour for three T20Is and three ODIs from September 10-24, some of their players may also stay in the UK after the Commonwealth Games. Five India players were involved in the first season of the Hundred: Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur.Meanwhile, a handful of England players are expected to leave the teams they represented in the competition’s inaugural season, with Welsh Fire – who lacked a marquee England international in 2021 – expected to make at least one major signing. Women’s teams are now able to recruit through an open-market system following a retention window that ran until the end of January.Only three Australian players were involved in the men’s Hundred last year – Josh Inglis, D’Arcy Short and Tim David (who has represented Singapore in T20Is) – but their availability is likely to be better for 2022. The men’s team’s only commitment during the Hundred’s window in the most recent version of the Future Tours Programme is a white-ball series against Zimbabwe at the end of August and there is a possibility that some first-choice players will not be required.Southern Brave have retained David and Marcus Stoinis, who withdrew from his contract last year, while Dan Christian, Ben McDermott and James Pattinson are among the players who have already signed contracts for the Vitality Blast and could stay on for the Hundred if they are signed in March’s draft.The ECB are due to announce which players have been retained by both men’s and women’s teams on Tuesday.

He showed symptoms during the second round match against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy

Umar Farooq04-Nov-2020Bismillah Khan, the Balochistan wicketkeeper-batsman, has tested positive for Covid-19 in Karachi. Bismillah had shown symptoms during the second round match against Southern Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy but wasn’t tested until the fourth day, after which he was substituted on the field by Adnan Akmal. Bismillah is currently in a dedicated quarantine room in the hotel, and is being monitored by a doctor.Bismillah’s positive result had initially raised questions about the immediate fate of the tournament, as all six teams were staying at the same hotel. However, the PCB confirmed in a release that all 132 players, personnel and match officials involved in the tournament had since tested negative for the virus, and that they will be fit to take part in the third round of matches, starting November 6.”The PCB understands domestic cricket is being played under difficult circumstances and fully appreciates the support of all involved,” the board’s high performance director Nadeem Khan said. “It is also appropriate that we remind all involved to religiously follow the PCB Covid-19 protocols, which will guarantee their health and safety as well as all those around them.”It is unclear as to how Bismillah might have contracted the virus. Before this round, nine Sindh players underwent Covid-19 tests after experiencing flu-like symptoms, but their results came back negative; only fast bowler Mir Hamza returned home after being declared unwell.Professional cricket returned to Pakistan in September after a 24-week hiatus forced by the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2020-21 domestic season had kicked off with the National T20 Cup – played over two legs in Multan and then Rawalpindi – followed by the first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam trophy, held fully in Karachi.In preparation for the tournament, the PCB first ensured each team quarantined separately at a different venue before they were allowed to enter the biosecure bubble in Karachi. All teams have been undergoing regular testing throughout the tournament to ensure the bubble remains safe. The PCB has conducted a total of 1478 tests to date, including 1091 in the domestic events.After the third round of matches, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be put on hold for 11 days, as Karachi will play host to four remaining matches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).The Covid-19 situation in Pakistan is nearly under control, with the country slowly returning to normalcy in recent weeks. While the government has been issuing daily alerts about a potential second wave of infections and appealing to the public to wear masks, only a few cities are observing a lockdown as restaurants, educational institutes, marriage halls and public transportation continue to operate freely.

Ben Stokes threatened a late jailbreak, but Nuwan Pradeep dismissed No. 11 Mark Wood to secure a memorable win for Sri Lanka

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu21-Jun-2019
As it happenedLasith Malinga conjured a vintage spell, part-time offspinner Dhananjaya de Silva struck three times in nine balls, Angelo Mathews scored a stubborn 85 not out, and Avishka Fernando made a rollicking 49 to shock tournament favourites England and give Sri Lanka enough reason to dream of a spot in the semi-finals.There were other heroes as well for Sri Lanka. Nuwan Pradeep bowled some mean inswingers with the new ball and then returned for the last over to have No. 11 Mark Wood feathering behind to deny Ben Stokes, who remained unbeaten – and heartbroken – on 82 off 89 balls. Isuru Udana backed up his excellent pace variations with two sharp catches – one off his own bowling and the other at the edge of the boundary. Kusal Mendis (46), like Mathews, had produced his highest score of the tournament to haul Sri Lanka to a scrappy 232 for 9. All of this resulted in Sri Lanka admirably defending that meagre total against a mighty England side that had topped 300 in eight of their last nine ODI innings. This, despite some late monster blows from Stokes.He threatened a jailbreak even after England were reduced to 186 for 9 in the 44th over. He farmed the strike and teed off, violently carting Udana for back-to-back sixes and then hitting the returning Pradeep for back-to-back fours. Stokes found a single off the fifth ball of the 47th over and Wood needed to see off just one ball. However, it wasn’t to be as Pradeep’s near-perfect full ball in the channel grazed the thinnest of outside edges and capped a remarkable comeback for the ragtag, seemingly down-and-out team.Malinga had struck with the second ball of the chase to pin local lad Jonny Bairstow lbw for a duck and, not much later, sent James Vince back caught at slip. He would return to whip up some old magic, dismissing the other local boy Joe Root for 57 and Jos Buttler for 10 in successive overs. While Root was late onto a glance and was snaffled down the leg side, the ball that bested Buttler was a Malinga special: a dipping leg-stump yorker that swooped under his bat and had him lbw.ALSO READ: Stats – Malinga joins McGrath, Murali and AkramJust as Sri Lanka were ramping up the pressure on England, Jeevan Mendis bowled a half-volley and a dirty long-hop that was smoked into the stands by Stokes. Enter Dhananjaya. Exit Moeen. The batsman had just aerially slog-swept an offbreak just away from the reach of deep midwicket, but he still ventured another big blow off the next ball and picked out Udana at long-off for 16. Then, in his next over, Dhananjaya took down both Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid to leave England at 178 for 8. It became 186 for 9 when Udana tricked Jofra Archer with his back-of-the-hand variation.Stokes then went bang, but Wood, who had hoped at the halfway mark that England might not need him with the bat, couldn’t hang on with him. Had he safely negotiated that ball from Pradeep, England would have only had to deal with the change bowlers, with Malinga having bowled out too.An upset did not seem likely when Root was unflappable in the early half of the chase, playing percentage shots on a slow, grippy Headingley pitch. He got cracking with a serene punch behind point, but Malinga and Pradeep didn’t allow him to keep going with similar fluency. Root, though, soldiered to his fifth fifty-plus score in six innings this World Cup. However, it was his dismissal that triggered a full-blown collapse.The sun was shining in its full glory in the morning, and Avishka played more glorious back-foot drives and pulls that had former Sri Lankan stylist Kumar Sangakarra gushing, “He’s got timing, this boy!” on TV commentary. Archer was swatted so far into the stands beyond square leg that the ball bounced off a railing and disappeared out of the ground. All told, Avishka took Archer for 24 off 15 balls. However, when Wood dug one short and wide outside off, he neither played an upper-cut nor a ramp and wound up simply gliding the ball into the lap of deep third man.Mathews and Kusal Mendis then got together for a 71-run stand – the highest in the game. Mathews took 13 balls to get off the mark and 39 to find the boundary, but Kusal Mendis scored at a brisker clip at the other end as they kept Moeen and Rashid at bay until the 30th over. Rashid, who is nursing a shoulder injury and taking injections for it, suddenly rediscovered some zip and removed Kusal Mendis and Jeevan Mendis off successive balls to reduce Sri Lanka to 133 for 5.With the innings spiralling out of control, Mathews adopted a more vigilant approach and tightened up further to give Sri Lanka a shot at batting out their 50 overs. Archer and Wood’s extra pace made light work of the lower order, but they could not find a way past Mathews.He tiptoed to an 84-ball half-century – the joint-slowest in this tournament alongside Afghanistan’s Hashmatullah Shahidi’s effort. But, it wasn’t until the last over of the innings that Mathews unleashed a shot in anger. His lusty leg-side club off Archer helped Sri Lanka reach 232, which proved enough in the end.