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Six out of eight equity sales have been completed, but Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets still negotiating

Matt Roller30-Jul-2025The ECB insists that external investment in two Hundred teams remains “on track” despite the fact that their deals are yet to be completed.ESPNcricinfo revealed last week that Knighthead Capital’s investment in Birmingham Phoenix had been signed off and five more investors have now completed deals, which were agreed in principle earlier this year. The sales process valued the eight teams at nearly £1 billion collectively, with over £500 million invested in English cricket as a direct result.But two deals have taken far longer than anticipated to complete. The ECB initially gave new investors an eight-week deadline to finalise paperwork, which was later extended after disagreements over the participation agreement, and the deadline for completion has now been extended further for both Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets.Related

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• Hundred sale explainer: Who has bought what, for how much?

• Phoenix in £40 million equity sale with Knighthead Capital

• County cricket can learn from rugby's private-equity experience

• ECB consider 'de-coupling' Women's Hundred

The ECB announced the completion of six deals on Wednesday, with chair Richard Thompson hailing a “seminal moment” for English cricket. The board said in a statement: “The remaining two [deals] are set for formal completion at a later date. They remain on track, in line with the ECB having offered investors the option of completing later.”Invincibles will be run as a joint-venture between Surrey (51%) and Reliance (49%), the Indian conglomerate which owns Mumbai Indians and their affiliated franchises around the world. Surrey declined to comment, but are understood to be very confident that the deal will be completed at the start of October.ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Ambani family, which owns Reliance, will attend the fifth England vs India Test at The Oval, but that the visit is unrelated to the timeframe of the deal. One outstanding issue in discussions surrounds the name of the franchise, which could be renamed MI London or MI Oval in line with Reliance’s other franchises outside of India, but branding is not considered a major sticking point.The Rockets’ new investors are Cain International – whose co-founders Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein are part of the consortium that owns Chelsea FC – and private equity firm Ares Management. They will run the franchise as minority partners, with Nottinghamshire – who also declined to comment – retaining a 51% interest.Trent Rockets’ new investors are Cain International and Ares Management•Nathan Stirk/ECB via Getty Images

Both investor groups are understood to have taken up the option presented to them by the ECB to complete their deals post-season on October 1, when they will assume operational control of their teams.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, has previously blamed the deals’ slow progress on the need to consider “what ifs” and new investors wanting “clarity on all sorts of details” before signing. Gould told ESPNcricinfo last month: “I hate to think how many sets of lawyers are in on this, but that’s what they’re paid to do.”The imminent financial windfall will be significant for many counties, not least Yorkshire, who have sold 100% of Northern Superchargers to the Sun Group. “The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years,” Sanjay Patel, their chief executive, said. “The first priority is clearing our debts.”The new investors will assume operational control from October 1, with the ECB running all eight teams for the 2025 season which runs from August 5-31.

Shakib said he wants to play a full series across formats in Bangladesh to say goodbye to the fans

Mohammad Isam07-Dec-2025Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has reversed his retirement from Tests and T20Is, and has said that he wishes to play all three formats. Shakib has not played international cricket in over a year and had announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is last year.”I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the podcast, which features Moeen Ali, on Sunday. “This is the first time I’ll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire.”I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I’m fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”Related

• BCB says door still open for Shakib to play for Bangladesh

• Bangladesh sports advisor won't 'allow Shakib to wear Bangladesh jersey' again

• Shakib on his illegal action: 'I was doing it a little bit intentionally'

Shakib hasn’t returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, once the Awami League government was dethroned on August 5. Shakib was an MP for that party. He was named in an FIR in an alleged murder case, although he was not in the country at the time. He then went on to play Tests in Pakistan and India. The second Test against India in Kanpur was his last international game.When asked whether he will return to Bangladesh, Shakib said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen.”Shakib further said that he will not be burdened by results and he wants to “give something back to the fans” for years of support in a home series.”I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words,” he said. “They normally don’t change it all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if I play well or not. I might play a bad series after that, if I want to play. But I don’t need to do that.”I think this is enough. It’s just a nicer way to say bye to the fans that they supported me always, give something back to them, playing a home series.”Shakib Al Hasan last played a Test in late 2024•AFP/Getty Images

Ahead of the Kanpur Test in September last year, Shakib announced he wasn’t going to play T20Is anymore, while expressing his desire to play his last Test in the home South Africa series that was scheduled for October.There were some protests and clashes around the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka ahead of the Test series, after which Shakib issued an apology for his silence during the students-led protest which led to hundreds of deaths in July and August.The BCB then dropped Shakib for the Tests against South Africa, mainly because Bangladesh’s interim government couldn’t guarantee his safe exit from the country.Earlier this year, a BCB official said that Shakib was welcome to return to the Bangladesh team. In September, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud declared that Shakib would not be allowed to play for the country after Shakib wished former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.Shakib, who was elected as an MP from his hometown Magura in January 2024, also suggested that he wasn’t done with his political career when he was asked what legacy he wants to leave. “[I have] done my cricketing part. Maybe political side is left,” he said. “It’s something I want to do for the people of Bangladesh and people of Magura. That was my intention, and it is still my intention. Let’s see where Allah takes me.”

The former captain made his first-class debut aged 17, scored 28 Test centuries and led Australia to 2015 ODI World Cup

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2025Former captain Michael Clarke has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of FameClarke, 43, accepted the honour on Thursday, nearly a decade after he closed the chapter on his remarkable playing career. He is the 64th inductee, with two further members to be named this season.Making his first-class debut for New South Wales at 17, Clarke captained Australia to victory in the 2015 ODI World Cup and led the side across 47 of his 115 Tests.Overall, Clarke scored 8643 Test runs, putting him sixth on Australia’s all-time list, and 7981 in ODIs where he stands fourth. His tally of 28 Test centuries also leaves puts him sixth on that list.Having impressed early in his ODI career – he wasn’t dismissed in his first three innings – Clarke burst onto the Test scene during Australia’s 2004 tour of India, crowned the player of the match in Bengaluru after scoring 151 on debut.After being dropped in late 2005, Clarke returned a even more formidable player. He became the sixth Australian to score a Test triple-century after posting an unbeaten 329 against India at the SCG in the 2011-12 series.He followed up his SCG performance with a double century in the fourth Test against India, before notching two further double centuries against South Africa the following season.Other standout innings included the 151 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2011 (from a total of 284) in the game Australia were later dismissed for 47, his 161 at the same venue in 2014 when he defied a broken shoulder to set up a victory that would take Australia to No. 1 in the world and the hugely emotional 128 against India at Adelaide in 2014 shortly after the death of the Phillip Hughes in what would prove his final home Test.Michael Clarke was prolific in the period from 2012 to 2014•Getty Images

It had been in 2011, after England won the Ashes 3-1 in Australia, that Clarke succeeded Ricky Ponting as captain. At his peak, he was ranked the best batter in the world. He was also at the helm for the Ashes whitewash in 2013-14 and retired at the end of the lost 2015 campaign in England.”To be able to sit along so many wonderful players, idols, role models growing up as a kid and looking up to is something I’m honoured by,” Clarke said. “Retirement does a lot of things to you. Through stages of watching cricket now, you miss parts.”When you play at the highest level, people talk about your international career but for me, it started at six years of age. I retired at 34 so it was my life. It’s still a part of my life.”Cricket – it’s probably so similar to life in general. You walk out and make 100 and then lift the bat, and then you walk out to field, field in slip and drop a catch second ball of the game.”Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman Peter King praised Clarke as a player who “defined his generation”.”Michael’s extraordinary first-class playing career started at just 17 at the SCG – the place where many of his highlights occurred, including a Test triple century against India in 2012,” King said.”Michael’s career will forever be remembered fondly by the Australian public and his standing held alongside those at the upper echelon of our game.”Clarke also proved capable as a left-arm spinner. It was his spell of 3 for 5 in 1.5 overs in 2008 against India that helped Australia retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and extend their winning streak to a record-equaling 16 Tests. In his debut series against India he had also taken 6 for 9 in Mumbai.

The appointment is till the end of the Champions Trophy next year, after which the PCB will finalise the full-time coach

Danyal Rasool18-Nov-2024Aaqib Javed has been named interim head coach of Pakistan’s men’s national white-ball teams till the end of the 2025 Champions Trophy, of which Pakistan are the hosts.Former Pakistan quick and UAE men’s head coach Aaqib will continue to serve as a senior member of the Pakistan men’s selection committee, and “will be assigned additional responsibilities following the conclusion” of the Champions Trophy, the PCB said in a statement on Monday.The PCB added that it “will initiate the recruitment process for a permanent white-ball head coach” with the aim of completing the appointment by the end of the Champions Trophy, which is set to run from February 19 to March 9.Speaking at a press meet at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, said, “We have temporarily asked Aaqib Javed to take over as coach until Champions Trophy. We don’t want to act too hastily in bringing in another coach who isn’t right. So this three-month gap, Aaqib will work [in that position]. He definitely wants to work on other things but we requested him to work for three months as head coach and after that we will see about the other stuff he wants to do.”It is only for [Aaqib to be only] white-ball [coach] and only [in an] interim [capacity]. We will begin the process of looking for a head coach in the next 10-15 days so we can search and find a good head coach.”Jason Gillespie, meanwhile, will continue to helm the Test side, and will join the touring party for the two-Test series in South Africa, which starts on December 26 after a T20I and ODI series. Last week, Gillespie was sounded out to perform white-ball duties until the Champions Trophy, without a change in his current contract – in effect, to take on two additional formats without being paid more for the increased scope of his role. Gillespie turned that offer down.Aaqib continuing to be on the selection committee puts the PCB’s coaching set-up in the unusual position, where the interim white-ball coach does have a say in selection across formats, while the full-time red-ball coach does not have a say in selection for the Test side.The decision to hand Aaqib white-ball coaching duties at such a critical phase of white-ball cricket for Pakistan underscores how swift the speed of Aaqib’s ascent has been. Until a few weeks ago, he was Lahore Qalandars’ long-term coach and director of cricket operations, where he had a mixed record; he led the side to consecutive PSL titles, but also saw several bottom-place finishes, including earlier this season.Jason Gillespie will continue to be Pakistan’s red-ball coach•Getty Images

When appointed a member of the selection committee, he was viewed by the PCB’s top brass as the mastermind behind the implementation of spin-friendly pitches against England to turn that series. He quit his role at Qalandars to focus on the PCB, where he was initially viewed as the favourite to be appointed director at the National Cricket Academy. He served a stint as Sri Lanka’s bowling coach earlier this year, but now begins his highest profile challenge.Pakistan haven’t had a full-time white-ball coach since Gary Kirsten resigned in late October. Gillespie had been given additional responsibilities for the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia.The tour of Australia, where Pakistan won the ODI series but lost the T20Is, ends today, and Pakistan are next slotted to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Zimbabwe (November 24 to December 5) before travelling to South Africa. In South Africa, they will first play three T20Is (December 10 to 14) and then three ODIs (December 17 to 22) before the two Tests. Pakistan then play a two-Test series at home against West Indies (January 16 to 28) before hosting New Zealand and South Africa in a short ODI tri-series just before the Champions Trophy.

“Whatever Rohit has told me, I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability, and I know that Rohit feels the same”

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-20252:22

Kumble: ‘Rahul showed what he’s capable of with his innings today’

After becoming a full-time No. 5 in ODI cricket, KL Rahul had expanded his range as a middle-order batter – since 2020, nobody has a higher average than his 61.52 in that position (for a minimum of 20 innings). Not even Heinrich Klaasen, whose average is about seven points lower than Rahul’s. But in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, India were keen to break up the sequence of right-handers and hence decided to promote Axar Patel to No. 5. As a result, Rahul dropped down to No. 6, but he’s adapted to that position, too, and has been “working on boundary-hitting a lot more”.”Yeah, I do [enjoy batting at the top] – I mean, I won’t lie,” Rahul told after taking India home in the semi-final. “It’s after opening the batting in Australia in Test matches [in the last series] and having to face that attack in Australia. And, you know, red-ball [cricket] is much harder. I opened the batting there and then to come here and bat low seems a bit different, but this is how I’ve played white-ball cricket in the last four-five years.”I’m quite used to going up and down the order, so I’m just happy getting a chance to play in the middle and whatever role is given, I think it’s really helped me understand my game a lot more and I’ve had to work on boundary-hitting a lot more in the last year or so, because the last ODI we played in Sri Lanka I batted at No. 6, so I knew that’s where I’ll be batting and [we] needed a left-hander in the top order.”Related

• Kumble: There is always undue pressure on Rahul

• Kohli conquers legspin to add new layer to his mystique

• 'Grow up' – Gambhir takes aim at 'perpetual cribbers'

• Kohli's 84 sends India into Champions Trophy final

• Shami vs Connolly: A different kind of six and out

Before the Champions Trophy, there was a toss-up between Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the keeper-batter’s spot, but Rahul, the incumbent, eventually got the nod. On Tuesday, Rahul went out to bat at the fall of Axar’s wicket, with India needing 86 in 15 overs with six wickets in hand on a tricky Dubai surface. When Virat Kohli holed out for 84, it appeared like Australia had an opening, but Rahul slammed the doors on them with an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes. After putting India in the final, Rahul was asked how he dealt with the uncertainty around his role.”It’s since I think 2020 that I’ve batted at No. 5 and a lot of times people forget that that’s where I’ve been batting,” Rahul said. “And every time I perform in a series and then there’s a break from ODI series, ODI cricket, and then we come back after four or five months there’s a question mark again about ‘oh well, will he play in the XI, where does he fit’ and sometimes I’m sitting there thinking what more can I do. Everywhere that I’ve been asked to play I’ve played, and I feel like I have performed my role, whatever’s been told to me by Rohit [Sharma]…”And whatever he’s told me I feel like I’ve done that to the best of my ability. And I know that Rohit feels the same and he’s always supported me and backed me with that. So there’s that confidence going into game that the captain has my back.”KL Rahul paced his innings smartly in India’s chase•AFP/Getty Images

Though Dubai had rolled out a fresh pitch for the semi-final, it was still slow and conducive to spin. It was one of those pitches where it was difficult to rotate strike, so Rahul felt that it was worth taking a risk every over, especially when Kohli was in supreme control at the other end. Rahul took Tanveer Sangha, Ben Dwarshuis and Adam Zampa for a brace of fours and a six in quick succession before Kohli was caught at long-on. Hardik Pandya did his job but also holed out later, and Rahul got the job done with Ravindra Jadeja.”When I walked in and when I played ten-12 balls, I told him that you’re the batter that needs to go on and be there till the end, and let me try and hit or let me try and take one chance an over,” Rahul said of his chat with Kohli. “Because we only needed 6 runs an over. But 6 runs an over on that wicket seemed like 8-8.5. So, you had to take one chance an over, one boundary or one six.”So, I told him that I will do that and why don’t you just rotate the strike and be there because you’re the set batter and it might be harder [for me]. If you get out another batter comes, it becomes a lot harder. But yeah, he felt like it was in his range to hit and yeah, he didn’t time it well.”

Guyana Amazon Warriors, the hosts, go down by eight runs after restricting Rangpur Riders to 162

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2025Bangladesh quick Khaled Ahmed was the star of the show as defending champions Rangpur Riders began their Global Super League 2025 campaign with a narrow but solid win over hosts Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence.Having opted to bat, Rangpur put up 162 for 5 with contributions from Kyle Mayers, Soumya Sarkar and Iftikhar Ahmed, before Khaled’s four-for and two-wicket hauls from Tabraiz Shamsi and Azmatullah Omarzai mande sure Amazon Warriors fell short by eight runs.Chasing 163, Amazon Warriors lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz cheaply to countrymate Omarzai, but Johnson Charles (40) and Moeen Ali (27) put together 48 runs in five overs to keep the chase on track.Kyle Mayers top-scored for Rangpur Riders•Global Super League via Getty Images

After they were felled in back-to-back overs, contributions continued to come, but none of them were impactful enough. All of Jewel Andrew, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Dwaine Pretorius, the Nos. 4-7, got into double-digits but couldn’t carry on and make a difference.And it was largely because of medium-pacer Khaled, who removed the dangerous Rutherford and Hetmyer in back-to-back overs, the 15th and 17th, and then got Pretorius and Shamar Springer on consecutive balls in the 19th.Omarzai finished it off first ball of the last over by sending back David Wiese that saw Amazon Warriors bowled out for 154.Earlier, Rangpur were slow off the blocks. They were 40 for no loss at the end of the powerplay – Amazon Warriors would get 49 for 1 later – with Saif Hassan going at a run a ball and Sarkar even slower. The impetus came only after Mayers went out and scored 44 not out in 31 balls and there were key lower-middle order contributions from Nurul Hasan (18 in ten balls) and Iftikhar (34 not out in 21).

The defeat, despite Mohammad Rizwan’s battling unbeaten 60 off 41 balls, left St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at No. 5 on the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2025Tabraiz Shamsi was tough to score off, and earned himself two opportunities to show off his familiar shoe-phone celebration. Despite his 2 for 17, however, St Lucia Kings had a big chase on their hands in their CPL 2025 game against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots – 178. That Kings got there with 18 balls and seven wickets in hand was down to their openers Tim Seifert and Johnson Charles. 115 runs between them, in just 62 balls, made the chase a canter.Just five runs came off the first over of the chase, bowled by Kyle Mayers. Charles took off after that, against Naseem Shah, and kept going. Kings got 13 off the second over, then 18 off the third, and 21 off the fifth, and finished the powerplay with 72 on the board. Seifert, who was slow to start with – having scored only a run-a-ball 15 by the fourth over – was now batting as quickly as Charles. It was all looking rather ominous for Patriots.Waqar Salamkheil got them the breakthrough – the wicket of Charles for a 17-ball 47 – in the seventh over, but with Ackeem Auguste, the hero of Kings’ previous match, for company, Seifert didn’t let the advantage slip.Auguste and Seifert added 60 for the second wicket, with Auguste contributing 29 in 20 balls. Though Seifert fell in the 15th over for a 45-ball 68, his opening blast had left Kings with very few to get with a lot of time.Johnson Charles smashed 47 in just 17 balls•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

Roston Chase (15*) and Tim David (16*) finished things off by the end of the 17th over.Earlier, after Patriots had been asked to bat by David Wiese at Kings’ home ground, the momentum they would have wanted never quite come. Theirs wasn’t a bad powerplay however, with Andre Fletcher especially showing enterprise as Patriots got to 57 for 1 after six overs.The brakes were applied soon after that, as Shamsi got Fletcher to miscue and attempted heave out of the stadium only to sky the ball to Charles behind the stumps. For his efforts, Shamsi was later named the Player of the Match.The fightback came from Mohammad Rizwan, batting at No. 3, who scored 60 not out in 41 balls, and put together partnerships of 71 in 52 balls with Mayers (27 in 25) and an unbroken 37 in 20 balls with Jason Holder (21* in 14). Still, neither Rizwan nor Mayers could score at the sort of rate Patriots would have wanted on a pitch that, as the outcome suggests, was good for scoring.The win took Kings to the top of the table with eight points from six games, while Patriots are now in fifth position with four points from seven games.

KCL will mark Samson’s first competitive appearance since the conclusion of IPL 2025

Shashank Kishore05-Jul-2025Sanju Samson’s controversial omission from last season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy has had no impact on his standing within the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) or the state’s cricketing circles. On Saturday, the India and Rajasthan Royals batter reaffirmed his popularity by becoming the most expensive signing at the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) auction. He was picked up by Kochi Blue Tigers for a record INR 26.60 lakh.This will mark Samson’s first competitive appearance since the conclusion of IPL 2025, where he played nine matches for Rajasthan Royals. The team endured a disappointing campaign, finishing ninth with just four wins and ten losses. Samson missed a significant portion of the season’s middle phase due to a side strain.The KCL will also mark Samson’s first appearance under the KCA’s ambit since his omission from the Vijay Hazare squad. At the time, Samson had been left out for not attending a preparatory camp in the lead-up to the tournament. While the KCA stated they wanted to set a precedent, the India batter claimed he had written to the association seeking permission to miss the camp.Named brand ambassador of the league, Samson had missed the inaugural edition of the KCL to prioritise international commitments. He was subsequently given a break, and his name was withdrawn from the auctions. Since then, Samson has strengthened his position as a regular T20I opener for India, most notably hitting three centuries against Bangladesh and South Africa.Vishnu Vinod, the wicketkeeper-batter who was part of Mumbai Indians, was the second-costliest pick at INR 13.8 lakh, while allrounder Jalaj Saxena was picked for INR 12.6 lakh.The inaugural edition of the KCL was sharply in focus during the IPL this year after teenage left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur was signed by Mumbai Indians for INR 30 lakh after impressing in the trials. He was also taken to South Africa, where he served as a net bowler for MI Cape Town.Signed for INR 3.75 lakh during the inaugural edition, Puthur was retained by Alleppey Ripples for the second edition. This will be his first competitive outing since being injured midway through IPL 2025, where he picked up six wicket in five matches for MI.

The injury means she will be unavailable for the home ODI series against Australia in December

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2024New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer has been ruled out of cricket for remainder of the year after sustaining a bone stress reaction in her groin. The injury means she will be unavailable for the home ODI series against Australia in December.A New Zealand Cricket release said Plimmer experienced pain in her left hip joint during the recent ODI series in India last month. A subsequent MRI and assessment by a specialist upon return to New Zealand confirmed the injury. She is expected to require six weeks of rest and rehabilitation, with a progressive return to high-speed running in January.Along with the Australia ODIs, Plimmer is also set to miss the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield and the Super Smash domestic competitions.”We’re really gutted for this to happen to Georgia when she’s at the top of her game,” Ben Sawyer, New Zealand women’s head coach, said.”She’s certainly a loss for us heading into an important series against Australia. After her recent success at the World Cup and in India it’s disappointing she won’t be able to continue that form for the Wellington Blaze and against Australia next month. Georgia’s determined to rehab well and get back as soon as she can and we’re wishing her a smooth recovery.”Plimmer was New Zealand’s second-highest run-scorer during their successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, making 150 runs in six innings. She also made scores of 25, 41 and 39 in the ODI series against India that followed, which New Zealand lost 2-1.

Australia are preparing to face Pakistan in Colombo after their second match was washed out

Andrew McGlashan06-Oct-20252:21

‘Tough to make a case against Australia winning the lot’

Megan Schutt has been termed the “ultimate professional” for the way she responded to being left out of Australia’s opening ODI World Cup match against New Zealand. She does, however, face a further wait to see if she will be included against Pakistan in Colombo.Due to the washed-out match against Sri Lanka, it will be a seven-day gap for Australia when they take on Pakistan. Head coach Shelley Nitschke did not confirm whether Schutt would have featured in that abandoned contest after Darcie Brown’s pace had been preferred against New Zealand.Related

• Swing in, speak out: the story of Megan Schutt

• Age is just a number – the women's World Cup XI of seniors

• Bugs halt play between India and Pakistan in Colombo

• Schutt: 'I didn't have the skill or work ethic, I just happened to be able to swing a ball'

Schutt has 10 wickets in nine ODIs against Pakistan although she did go wicketless in the two most recent matches, at home, between the two sides in early 2023. Brown, meanwhile, has five wickets in two outings – figures of 2 for 21 and 3 for 32 in Brisbane – but she was taken for 52 off four overs against New Zealand in the World Cup opener.”She [Schutt] is obviously the ultimate professional and she took it very well,” Nitschke said on Monday. “We sort of looked at the match-ups and the performances coming in, but certainly I understand that Megan’s got a big role to play for us moving forward. We’ll have another look again at the match-ups and the conditions at Premadasa before we take on Pakistan and see if she’s in that right sort of team to best match up to them to hopefully win.”Speaking to ESPNcricinfo prior to the World Cup, Schutt said she had hoped to feature throughout. “I’d like to think my previous performances have kept me in good stead for that,” she said. “Obviously if it doesn’t work out, I will completely understand the balance of the squad and run drinks as best as I can if I’m not in the XI. But ideally I’d love to be out on the field doing what I do with people that I love. I like to think I’ve got pretty good awareness to know if that’s not going happen but ideally, I’d love to play all the games and get right through.”Sophie Molineux was outstanding on her return•Getty Images

The other key selection call Australia made for the opening match was preferring Alana King ahead of fellow legspinner Georgia Wareham. The fact there wasn’t room for both was because of Sophie Molineux’s return to the side which saw her take 3 for 25, including the wicket of Suzie Bates in her first over and the final removal of Izzy Gaze who was flying on 28 off 18 balls alongside a dominant Sophie Devine.It was Molineux’s first international since last December and Nitschke confirmed the left-arm spinner will need to be looked after as she continues to regain strength from knee surgery.”She [Molineux] was fantastic in that first round,” Nitschke said. “To open the bowling first game back and return figures like she did was unbelievable and a credit to her and the work she’s done to get her back to being available to play for us.”I think her knee is just ongoing management and seeing how it responds to training and games and looking at her availability from there. We’ll make sure that we’re doing the right thing by her and hopefully having her available when we need her.”When a decision needs to be made between King and Wareham, Nitschke said “sometimes it’s actually not about one or the other, like they bring different things to the table. I think Alana probably spins the ball a bit more and she’s a bit more attacking. Georgia can find a really good defensive length and [has] got a few variations that she goes to.”They both offer different things so it’s also about what we think we need in the game. Alana makes things happen, like I said, she’s an attacking bowler, as does Wolf [Wareham], but she also plays a lot of T20 and knows how to hit a really good defensive length at times as well.”The match in Colombo on Sunday between India and Pakistan saw play suspended for 15 minutes while the ground was fumigated against flying insects. It’s a problem Australia have not experienced during their training sessions in the city.”I’m not sure if that’s relative to the conditions and the bit of moisture that’s around,” Nitschke said. “But hopefully the fumigators are out and ready to go if that’s the case.”