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Worcestershire’s second innings hit by three-hour delay but third-wicket pair stand firm

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2023Worcestershire 242 (Coad 5-33) and 142 for 2 (Libby 61*) drew with Yorkshire 407 (Bean 135, Lyth 79, Hill 53, Finch 5-100Yorkshire’s victory push was thwarted by the weather and the Worcestershire third-wicket pair of Jake Libby and Gareth Roderick as the LV=Insurance County Championship encounter at New Road ended in a draw.The home side began the day on 22 without loss in their second innings and had been reduced to 49 for 2 – still 116 runs short of avoiding an innings defeat – when play was halted.The players were initially taken off for bad light but it was quickly followed by a torrential downpour and a three-hour delay.When play eventually resumed, acting captain Libby and Roderick closed the door on any hopes the Tykes may have had of forcing a second Championship win of the season. The pair added an unbroken 110 before the players shook hands at 5pm.Libby, Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer this summer, took his tally for 2023 to 701 with an unbeaten 61 while Roderick finished undefeated on 34.Yorkshire could take some consolation from being the better side for the majority of the game in all departments.There were several outstanding individual performances with Finlay Bean scoring an excellent century and Ben Coad picking up five wickets in Worcestershire’s first innings as they were forced to follow on.But the momentum changed during the second half of the third day when Worcestershire’s last-wicket pair of Adam Finch and Ben Gibbon held up Yorkshire for 35.3 overs and added 63 runs.Worcestershire will reflect on a performance in which they were below-par with the ball and in the field but, as has been the case in several recent games, dug in when their backs were against the wall.The ultimate winner was the weather which resulted in the loss of more than 130 overs during the four days.Gibbon and Finch resumed their nightwatch roles after returning to the middle yesterday evening.Only nine runs were added before Finch was run out following a mix-up with Gibbon who had turned Matthew Fisher to midwicket.Gibbon then pushed hard at Coad and was caught at first slip by George Hill but that was as good as it got for the visitors on the final day.Roderick and Libby joined forces and shepherded Worcestershire through to 49 for 2 before the rain arrived. When play eventually resumed Yorkshire toiled away in vain as Libby and Roderick stood firm.

He played five games with Sylhet Strikers, but was clearly struggling with fitness issues

Mohammad Isam31-Jan-2024Sylhet Strikers captain Mashrafe Mortaza has taken a break from this season’s BPL to concentrate on his political career. Mashrafe is a member of parliament – he was elected for a second time in the country’s general elections earlier this month. His party, the Awami League, has appointed him as the party’s whip in parliament.”Mashrafe will be available to play for the Strikers further in the season if there is an opportunity in between his political commitments and schedule,” a statement from Strikers said on Wednesday. “Sylhet Strikers franchise has extended gratitude to Mashrafe for his commitment to the team in the tournament so far and looks forward to have him back when he is able.”Although he was clearly struggling with an injury, Mashrafe played Sylhet’s first five matches in the competition, all of which they have lost. It was reported that he couldn’t prepare for the tournament as he would have liked, so he bowled off-spin off a few paces, and batted in different positions in the batting order. It led to a lot of hue and cry, including from former captain Mohammad Ashraful, who said that Mashrafe’s presence in this state was “belittling the BPL”.Sylhet has announced that Mohammad Mithun will be the captain in Mashrafe’s absence. It is an interesting choice as Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has led Bangladesh impressively recently, is also in the team. Sylhet play their next match against Durdanto Dhaka on February 2

Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube played key roles with the bat as CSK won by six wickets

Deivarayan Muthu22-Mar-20242:42

Will Mustafizur play a big role in games in Chennai?

Chennai Super Kings, under a brand-new captain, enjoyed a winning start to their defence of the IPL title in front of a raucous Chepauk crowd on Friday night. Mustafizur Rahman, who was among four debutants for CSK, took out four of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s top five in the space of ten balls to set up an eighth successive defeat for RCB in Chennai.Rachin Ravindra, who was playing his first IPL game, also played his part in the victory, with 37 off 15 balls at a strike rate of 246.66 on a pitch that slowed down later in the night. In his first game as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad started with a first-ball four, but RCB’s Impact Player Yash Dayal cut his innings short on 15 in CSK’s chase of 174.Cameron Green and Alzarri Joseph then briefly silenced the Chepauk crowd with their contrasting styles. While Green bowled slower cutters into the pitch, Joseph operated at high speeds and generated steep bounce, taking the pitch out of the equation.2:42

Do RCB have an overseas combination problem?

Shivam Dube, who was working his way back from injury, replaced Mustafizur as an Impact Player for CSK and laboured to 7 off 13 balls. But he then turned up the tempo to usher CSK home with an unbeaten 34 off 28 balls along with Ravindra Jadeja, who scored an unbeaten 25 off 17. MS Dhoni didn’t get to bat in the chase, but perhaps this is what he had hoped for when he handed over the keys of the CSK kingdom to Gaikwad.

RCB’s Jekyll-and-Hyde powerplay

After opting to bat in what was his first IPL game as an opposition player in Chennai, Faf du Plessis dashed out of the blocks, hitting seven fours in the first three overs. He latched on to any width that Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande offered, repeatedly pumping them over the off-side infield. Gaikwad got into the act and pushed extra cover back to deep cover and, on cue, Mustafizur had du Plessis holing out to Rachin Ravindra there for 35 off 21 balls. Three balls later, Mustafizur found a bit of extra bounce to have Rajat Patidar nicking off for a duck. Then, in the final over of the powerplay, Chahar had Glenn Maxwell guiding one straight into Dhoni’s gloves, also for a duck.After being on 37 for no loss in the first four overs, RCB lost three wickets for five runs in the next two.1:26

Moody: ‘RCB were predictable with short-ball plan’

Mustafizur goes bang-bang once again

Mustafizur then returned in the 12th over and dismissed Virat Kohli and Green in the space of three balls. While Kohli dragged a pull off a seam-up delivery to deep midwicket for 21 off 20 balls, Green was bowled by a whippy cutter for 18 off 22 balls. It was Mustafizur’s second double-wicket over.Mustafizur might not even have played had CSK’s death-overs specialist Matheesha Pathirana been fit. He ended up with figures of 4-0-29-4 on a night where the other two seamers in his team – Chahar and Deshpande – went at well over nine an over. When Pathirana returns to action, CSK will have a happy selection headache.

Rawat and Karthik prop up RCB

That RCB finished with 173 for 6 was down to a counterattacking 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket off just 50 balls that ended off the last ball of the innings courtesy a Dhoni direct hit.At one stage, RCB went 28 balls without a boundary, but Rawat then hit two in six balls to set RCB up for the end overs. He then walloped Deshpande for 6,6, 4 in a 25-run 18th over. At the other end, Karthik looked rusty to start with, but mixed power with inventiveness to give RCB’s innings more impetus.

Dube gets the job done for CSK

After CSK lost Gaikwad in the powerplay, Ravindra lined up RCB’s quicks with pulls and pick-up shots. He even whacked Karn Sharma over midwicket for six, but when he went for another six, he holed out to deep square-leg.Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls) and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18) made cameos to take the chase deep in typical CSK style. But when Green snagged Mitchell, CSK still needed 64 off 45 balls. The two-bouncer rule empowered Joseph to run in hard and hit the deck even harder. Dube, however, just about passed the short-ball test and sealed the chase with six wickets and eight balls to spare.

Ellyse Perry’s unbeaten half-century in vain as spinners share five wickets after Wyatt’s 76 to give England two points

Valkerie Baynes05-Jul-2023Danni Wyatt’s magnificent half-century set a Kia Oval crowd of 20,328 – and this Ashes series – alight before England’s bowlers combined to protect a lofty total and topple the mighty Australians by three runs in their second T20I.Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley had set the hosts off to a fast start with a 57-run opening partnership. A flurry of wickets had them in trouble at 119 for 6 but then Sophie Ecclestone’s cameo of 22 off just 12 balls, including stands worth 31 each with both Wyatt and Sarah Glenn, helped lift England to 186 for 9, their highest T20I score against Australia. It was also the second-highest total ever conceded by the Australians in the format, behind the 187 for 5 in December against India, who won that match in a Super Over, Australia’s only other T20I defeat in their past 25 completed matches.England withstood some early pressure when Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney set Australia off to a superior start, but spinners Ecclestone and Glenn claimed two wickets apiece and the visitors couldn’t get over the line despite Ellyse Perry’s brave unbeaten half-century. The hosts came into the match needing to win all five remaining matches to wrest back the Ashes and, having won five on the trot to reach the final of the 50-over World Cup last year after dropping their first three games, this victory could just have them daring to dream, trailing 6-2 but with eight more points up for grabs.

Wyatt on the charge

Australia gifted Dunkley a life on 13 when she skied Megan Schutt high to cover and while Tahlia McGrath sat under it, the ball slid between her hands, the most dramatic of a rash of misfields early in England’s innings. Wyatt helped herself to back-to-back boundaries off Ashleigh Gardener, over mid-off and threaded through third, and at the end of the powerplay England were 54 without loss in a vast improvement on their 36 for 2 in the opening T20I at Edgbaston, which Australia won by four wickets with one ball to spare. McGrath juggled another chance off Dunkley and her relief was palpable when she held on this time as Dunkley departed for 23.Nat Sciver-Brunt was also on 23 when Gardner, whom she’d reverse-swept sublimely for four earlier, had her caught at long-on but Wyatt carried on, bringing up her half-century off 36 balls when she swung a Perry’s short ball wide of midwicket for a one-bounce four. When Schutt conceded 25 off the 16th over, Wyatt was the chief destroyer, slapping the first ball to the rope through point as Schutt overstepped followed by three more boundaries in a row and five wides off what should have been the last ball of the over to Ecclestone adding to the Australians’ pain. Wyatt eventually fell for a when she holed out to deep third off Annabel Sutherland.Annabel Sutherland struck twice in two balls•Getty Images

Sutherland strikes

Sutherland swung the momentum Australia’s way when she claimed two wickets in as many balls as England slid from 100 for 1 to 109 for 4. Alice Capsey fell for her second straight single-figure score of the series attempting to hook Sutherland only to send a top edge high towards short fine leg, wicketkeeper Healy moving calmly back to take it. Then Heather Knight, playing her 100th T20I, was bowled first ball, a gem of a cross-seam delivery that angled in from wide of the crease, straightened and pegged back off stump.Amy Jones survived the hat-trick ball, digging out the yorker on leg stump, but then Sutherland took an excellent diving catch at running round from wide long-on and England had lost four wickets for 12 runs in the space of 13 balls. Ecclestone and Glenn had the crowd roaring, particularly when Ecclestone peeled off 4, 6, 4 off McGrath as England recovered to 181 for 8 and it took a stunning catch by Darcie Brown at short third off Gardner to remove Glenn.

Australia beatable

It looked like Australia would do what they have done so often when openers Healy and Mooney guided them to 58 without loss in the powerplay, with Healy impressive on 37 off 18 including two huge sixes off Sciver-Brunt in the fifth over, over wide long-on and in front of square leg. But she failed to add to her score when legspinner Glenn came into the attack in the seventh over and struck second ball, taking the pace off as Healy looked to go over short fine leg and exposed her stumps as the ball crashed into middle. McGrath was run-out when Charlie Dean gathered a ball that dropped just short of extra cover and fired it in to wicketkeeper Jones, who threw down the stumps. Danielle Gibson, who made her debut in the opening match at Edgbaston, claimed her maiden international wicket when Mooney picked out Wyatt at deep midwicket.Ecclestone had Gardner out to the simplest return catch imaginable to claim her 100th wicket in T20Is, becoming the fastest to the milestone from just 72 matches as Australia slumped to 75 for 4. After 12 overs, Australia needed to score at 11.5 an over and Dean, the offspinner who came in as the only change for either side after the opening match replacing seamer Freya Davies, bowled Grace Harris to keep England on top. Georgia Wareham threatened with a four followed immediately by two sixes off Dean in the 18th over but, needing 31 off the final two overs, Lauren Bell, who had been expensive, bowled Wareham with eight balls remaining. Australia needed 20 off the last over and while Perry kept fighting to the end, her 51 not out off 27 balls wasn’t enough.

Managing director has quadrupled his bet on inspirational head coach, but England’s unremitting schedule remains biggest challenge

Matt Roller03-Sep-2024Success in English cricket is evaluated by Ashes series and World Cups. The extensions to both Brendon McCullum’s contract and his remit, announced on Tuesday, represent Rob Key quadrupling the size of his bet: McCullum will not only take charge of the 2025-26 Ashes, but now the 2026 T20 World Cup, 2027 Ashes and 2027 50-over World Cup, too.Key made clear when he was appointed England’s managing director two years ago that his decision to split the coaching roles owed to pragmatism, rather than principle. “You get a better list of candidates… nearly all of them are like, ‘I wouldn’t be going for this if it was one [role],'” Key said. “You want the best people, and you build the structure around them.”In effect, that is exactly what Key has tried to do with this gambit. There has been a complete transformation in England’s Test cricket under McCullum: he has overseen 19 wins, eight defeats and a single draw, and has given them a clear identity that they were sorely lacking. Key’s belief is that he can have the same effect on a stagnant white-ball set-up.Related

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In a coaching market that is heavily skewed towards the franchise circuit, Key believes that McCullum’s new contract is a major coup for England: “We are incredibly fortunate that a coach of his quality is prepared to commit wholeheartedly to English cricket,” he said on Tuesday. “We’re confident this restructure will bring out the best in our players and coaching staff.”It is a call which highlights the importance of perception. England have played some brilliant Test cricket under McCullum but are yet to win a series against the world’s top two: they drew with Australia last summer, and were heavily beaten in India earlier this year. Still, the sense remains of a team on the up – not least after five clinical wins this summer.By contrast, Matthew Mott took England to three World Cups and won one of them, his team beating Pakistan at the MCG less than two years ago. And yet, he found himself sacked after reaching a semi-final in June: Jos Buttler’s hangdog expression told a story of a team whose progress had stalled, necessitating a change in leadership which fell on Mott.Brendon McCullum is now England’s man for all formats, under Rob Key•Getty Images

The pitfalls of McCullum’s new role are hidden in plain sight. Only India play more men’s international cricket than England, and England play more Tests than anyone. Their ludicrous fixture list is encapsulated by the 24-hour turnaround between the scheduled fifth-day finish of the upcoming third Test against Sri Lanka and the start of a T20I series against Australia.Key insisted that the “constant clashes” between formats “are easing, starting from January” but the volume of cricket scheduled is still substantial. Expect McCullum to have few qualms about handing the reins to one of his assistants for several bilateral series over the next three years – as Rahul Dravid did throughout his tenure with India.The trouble lies further ahead, with a dilemma that is familiar to England’s captains and coaches across the past two decades: how can you plan for both an Ashes series, and a World Cup straight after it? It is akin to a tennis player winning Wimbledon and jumping on a plane to Flushing Meadows, or an athlete being asked to compete in a World Championships immediately after an Olympic Games.In both the 2025-26 winter and the 2027 summer, McCullum will need his players to perform at their best throughout a four-month period – a scenario in which England have always struggled. Nasser Hussain (2003), Michael Vaughan (2007) and Andrew Strauss (2011) all led depleted squads to 50-over World Cups which were staged immediately after Ashes tours, with predictable results; Buttler faced a similar situation last year, with England’s multi-format players underperforming in India.Buttler was among the players who struggled five years ago when the turnaround was flipped. England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, the culmination of their white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy, left players physically and emotionally drained yet was swiftly followed by a home Ashes series: England snuck a 2-2 series draw, but were outplayed.Previous England captains have felt the pain of an Ashes followed by a World Cup•Getty Images

As Australia’s fine record at World Cups can attest, scaling twin peaks in quick succession is by no means impossible: only three members of their side that beat India in Ahmedabad last year did not feature on the Ashes tour which preceded the World Cup. Andrew McDonald oversaw success on two fronts, something which has eluded England’s coaches.More immediately, McCullum’s task will be to inject some energy into a white-ball set-up which felt desperately low on it by the time they were knocked out of June’s T20 World Cup. He will watch from afar for their next 14 games, with Marcus Trescothick in interim charge, then will have a quick tour to India to make his mark before February’s Champions Trophy.The biggest unknown for McCullum will be his relationship with Buttler. Buttler idolised McCullum as a player but has never played or worked with him, and his captaincy is under scrutiny after the manner of England’s semi-final defeat to India in Guyana. Where Buttler had the balance of power over Mott, McCullum should be strong enough to take the lead.England believe they have a new core of young players who can become regulars across formats over the next decade: this includes Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson, who have all showcased their attacking style in McCullum’s Test team. This is simply the latest step in Key’s attempts to bridge the gap between the two codes – which had been in danger of becoming a chasm.It was barely two years ago that McCullum made clear to Key that he had no interest in taking on England’s white-ball teams, after Morgan had transformed them into not only regular semi-finalists but trendsetters in the global game. Now that they are lagging behind, he finds himself in charge of another revival.

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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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.

Hosts well-placed in chase through Buttler, Croft only to stumble short of finishing line

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2023Inaugural T20 champions Surrey are through to Finals Day a week on Saturday having just about defended a target of 188 to win a high-scoring thriller against Lancashire by 13 runs at Emirates Old Trafford.The 2003 winners inflicted a first home T20 defeat upon the Lightning in 22 games dating back to late 2020, and they did it as the hosts slipped from 124 for 2 in the 14th over of their chase to finish on 174 for 6.Captain and England white-ball seamer Chris Jordan excelled with two for 28 from four overs, leaving Australian seamer Sean Abbott defending 19 off the last over to seal a semi-final meeting with Somerset at Edgbaston.Surrey’s 187 for 5 having elected to bat was underpinned by 70 off 41 balls for opener Laurie Evans and 50 off 34 for Jason Roy from No. 3. But they didn’t get as many as they should have on a used pitch, opening the door for England white-ball captain Jos Buttler to put the game in Lightning’s favour with an opening 42. Veteran Steven Croft also made 55, but it wasn’t enough.At 119 for 2 after 13 overs, 200 was likely for Surrey. However, Lancashire squeezed well, and wicketless Luke Wells conceded only 26 from four overs of legspin.Sunil Narine only facing two balls from No. 7 and fellow overseas bowler Abbott not batting at all for Surrey was a surprise. The latter, for example, crashed a 34-ball century earlier in the competition.Evans hit three sixes as 58 for one came off the powerplay, two of them scooped over fine-leg in the same over from two-wicket seamer Tom Bailey and the other smashed over midwicket. Evans reached his fifty off 28 balls shortly afterwards and helped his side to 93 for 1 after 10 overs, by which stage Roy was settling.Phil Salt and Croft both let boundaries slip through their legs in the outfield, though the latter ironically led to the wicket of Evans, who was bowled by Liam Livingstone as the score fell to 104 for 2 in the 12th over. Had Croft not misfielded, it would have only been one and Roy on strike.Roy pulled Livingstone for a big six on the way to a 33-ball fifty. But he fell to a smart catch from Croft at cover off Luke Wood, with Surrey 140 for 3 after 15 overs.Despite their ground fielding been sketchy – Surrey’s was worse – Lancashire caught well. Dane Vilas took a superb low catch at long-off to help Bailey remove Sam Curran late on.Buttler started Lancashire’s pursuit by lofting his second ball for six over long-on off Will Jacks’ offspin, and they got going well at 31 without loss after three overs.Salt holed out to mid-off against Abbott as Lancashire, like Surrey had done, reached 50 for one after five overs. Salt’s wicket brought Croft to the crease, and he hit four of his first 10 balls to the boundary, outshining Buttler.Having that said, the England captain then launched Narine’s first two balls for six over long-on to blow that theory to pieces, more importantly taking Lightning to 69 for 1 in the seventh over.That became 94 for 1 after 10 with Buttler 41. That Buttler only added one more run before slicing Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin to gully – 97 for 2 in the 11th over – boosted Surrey’s chances of a revival. And it proved a big moment.Having shared 62 with Buttler, Croft remained but Jordan led a squeeze in the rate just as the home bowlers had done earlier. Narine had Livingstone miscuing cheaply to deep midwicket, and Lancashire needed 64 off six overs at 124 for 3.Croft reached 50 off 32 balls shortly afterwards and while Daryl Mitchell was dropped on 4 in the deep, the target became 47 off four overs and later 29 off two.Jordan yorked Croft and had Vilas caught at long-leg in the penultimate, also running out Wells – 168 for 6 – leaving Abbott with room for manoeuvre. He finished with 1 for 22 from four overs.

Stand of 103 between the pair set-up routine win after Sussex posted 208 for 6

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2024Dan Hughes and James Coles registered brutal half centuries as Sussex Sharks completed a Vitality Blast double over South Group rivals Gloucestershire, winning a one-sided contest by 48 runs at the Seat Unique Stadium.Australian Hughes top-scored with a blistering 65 off 37 balls, while Coles contributed 54 from 33 deliveries in a match-winning third-wicket stand of 113 as the visitors ran up an imposing 208 for 6 after being put into bat. Only Josh Shaw and David Payne, who claimed 3 for 27 and 1 for 21 respectively, avoided severe punishment as Sussex mustered an impressive combined tally of eight sixes and 22 fours in a fearsome display of big-hitting.Gloucestershire never really threatened to come close, Cameron Bancroft top-scoring with 42 in a reply that came up well short at 160-8 in the face of disciplined bowling from seamers Ollie Robinson, Fynn Hudson-Prentice and Tymal Mills as Sharks made it three wins in four games. Beaten in their last three outings, Gloucestershire are now off the pace and under pressure to achieve an unlikely win when they resume their campaign against leaders Surrey at The Oval on Friday.Gloucestershire’s preference is to chase on the pitches at Bristol and Jack Taylor’s decision to bowl first paid early dividends as Sussex slipped to 16 for 2. Harrison Ward was brilliantly held by Ajeet Singh Dale in the deep to provide Payne with his ninth wicket of the short-format campaign, while Shaw marked his first appearance of the season with a superb yorker to pin Oli Carter in the crease.Hughes carried the fight to Gloucestershire thereafter, the Australian combining immaculate timing and impressive power to find the boundary on five occasions during a powerplay that yielded 45 runs.With Coles initially adopting a supporting role, Hughes continued to blaze away, the New South Wales opener cashing in mercilessly when afforded width as Sharks reached 85 for 2 at halfway. Coles then went into attack mode, hoisting Ollie Price’s off spin over deep square leg for the first six of the innings and then repeating the shot for four as the eleventh over leaked 19 runs.Following up his half century made against Surrey at The Oval two days earlier, Hughes went to his latest 50 from 31 balls, slog-sweeping fellow Australian Beau Webster for a huge six to bring up that landmark. Shaw returned to bowl Hughes in the thirteenth, at which point the left-hander had harvested 10 fours and a brace of sixes in a murderous innings that propelled Sussex to 129 for 3.Having played second fiddle in an exhilarating stand of 113 in 10.2 overs, Coles joined forces with Tom Alsop to ensure there was no respite for Gloucestershire’s beleaguered bowlers. Coles needed just 28 balls to raise 50, but then drilled a delivery from Graeme van Buuren straight to extra cover and departed with the score on 150.Hudson-Prentice was run out by Miles Hammond and Shaw trapped John Simpson with an in-swinging yorker as Gloucestershire tried to reassert themselves, but powerful late hitting from Alsop and Nathan McAndrew, who staged a whirlwind unbroken stand of 37 in 14 balls, including 29 off the final over from Singh Dale, carried the Sharks out of sight.Gloucestershire’s cause was not helped by Robinson, the England paceman conceding just 11 runs in three overs with the new ball and having Hammond caught at extra cover for 29 as the home side posted 47 for 1 in the powerplay. Hudson-Prentice then bowled James Bracey in the next over and, when slow left armer Coles made a mess of Webster’s stumps in the tenth, Gloucestershire were 69 for 3 and in need of something special.Skipper Taylor did his level best to meet the demands of the day, smiting 2 sixes and a four in one over from Coles that cost 19 runs. He had raised 27 from 13 balls and dominated a stand of 40 with Bancroft when he hoisted Hudson-Prentice to long-on in the fourteenth. Bancroft had advanced to 42 via 32 balls when he was run out by the ubiquitous Robinson later in the same over, after which van Buuren and Charlesworth departed without making an impact as Gloucestershire subsided to 124 for 7.Desperate to prove a point after being left out for the last game, Price mustered an unbeaten 29 from 17 balls, but it was too little too late.

The ground still has several slushy pockets and its drainage has been overwhelmed by overnight rainfall

Daya Sagar and Nagraj Gollapudi10-Sep-2024Several slushy pockets in the Greater Noida Sports Complex ground along with drainage that has been overwhelmed by heavy rainfall have prevented the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand from taking off. For the second straight day, there was no play possible, not even a toss, and there is growing fear that the entire game might be wiped out.On Tuesday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) acknowledged that the situation was grim, saying it was doing everything possible to start the Test, but the wet weather was proving to be insurmountable. “If it rains like this, no venue is going to be able to host a game,” Menhajuddin Raz, ACB’s international cricket manager said.There has been no rain in the daytime though, leading to questions about why the match has not been able to start. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the outfield is not sand-based, which would’ve been better at soaking up the moisture and also quicker when it comes to drying. The drainage system has also come under significant strain from the intense rainfall that has disrupted Delhi and neigbhouring regions like Greater Noida, which is about two hours from the nation’s capital.Only a small part of the ground could be protected against this bad weather – the main square, which houses the playing surface and the practice pitches and the 30-yard circle. It is understood that a lot of pockets on the outfield and some even in and around the inner circle – midwicket, mid-off and cover – are slippery. An official present at the venue said the top layer began moving underfoot making it risky and unfit for play.Afghanistan’s opening batter Ibrahim Zadran slipped during practice and twisted his ankle, which has ruled him out of the Test. While the ACB sent out a media statement about the injury, the official believes it was a result of the outfield’s deterioration.Being the host, the responsibility lies with ACB to ensure the venue is match fit. In a statement the ACB said that the BCCI has been assisting by providing “additional machinery” to make “conditions ideal” for the match to start. It is understood that at the behest of the Indian board, Ankit Dutta, the curator at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi travelled to Greater Noida on Tuesday. A super sopper was also sent to the venue to help with the drying. Dutta is understood to have told the ground officials as well as the ACB that he saw no immediate remedy.Tim Southee inspects the pitch with match referee Javagal Srinath•AFP/Getty Images

In the past several days both Afghanistan and New Zealand have struggled to have a proper net session. On Tuesday, New Zealand did some light training in the main square, but the fast bowlers were unable to come off a full run-up. The official said that while the super sopper was welcome it wouldn’t be able to bind the loose top layer which can only happen with more sunshine.This Test is not part of the ICC’s World Test Championship. The ICC, too, doesn’t have to get involved in this game other than appointing match officials. However, questions are now being asked about whether there was due diligence done to check if the venue was equipped to withstand bad weather. Raz stressed that they were.”Look, the venue is an international standard venue,” he said. “It has hosted around 12 [11] games internationally. It’s not like it’s a new venue. It’s just the rain which has affected everything so much. And that’s the only reason we’re not having a game on day two.Related

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“As per the international standard, like at least three-four months, even six months before, you make a recce of the venue. And then, you make sure everything is normal. It’s not only us [the home team] who does this recce. It’s the visiting team as well – their team and their player association team do the recce, too. Everything was so good.”The whole issue arose because of the heavy rain which has happened over the last two weeks or so. And then, last night, I don’t know if you guys were there or not, but I’ve got a couple of videos which I’ve recorded on my phone. And it wasn’t looking good at all. Even if it had been any other venue, they would have struggled to get it back on time, ready for a game of cricket.”Raz said that the BCCI had given Afghanistan Bengaluru and Kanpur as other venue options, but they chose Greater Noida. This ground last hosted international cricket in 2020. India have never used it for any of their fixtures.”This venue has always been Afghanistan’s home venue,” he said. “We have been playing games here since 2016 [2017] and have hosted Ireland here. Logistically also this was the most feasible venue for us. You get a flight maybe from Kabul and from Dubai to Delhi, and then two hours of drive from there.Two full days have been lost in the Afghanistan vs New Zealand Test•AFP/Getty Images

“We heard from the local experts that the monsoon finishes here in mid-August and then you don’t get any rain. So, it’s not that something has gone wrong [from our side]. It’s just from above.”Raz was specifically asked if they considered the drainage facilities while finalising the venue. “I would say yes,” he replied, “because that’s always something which plays its role when it comes to the venue. And we have got many of the facilities here that are required to drain such rain. If you witnessed the rain last night and then the level of work the groundstaff has put together… they had to get water pumps inside to get the water outside of the stadium. It’s only a few patches that are stopping the game. Apart from that, it doesn’t seem to be a big problem.”The Greater Noida stadium comes under the control of the local administration, and not the BCCI or the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. Raz said the ACB had full cooperation from the local administration.”They have been working hard to make things happen. Look, we had a three-day game here with one of the local teams which went well. We didn’t face any issues. But no one can control the rain. It is not the groundstaff’s fault, it is no one’s fault.”The ACB’s commercial manager, Akbar Mohammad Paktian, said that they even tried shifting the Test to another venue.”Even we called up the nearby other venues,” he said. “We tried working on a solution to shift the game, shift the event. And they said that because of the same rain, they will not be able to prepare the venue in the coming 24 hours.”Raz hoped if there was no further rain, the match could start on time on Wednesday. However, just a few minutes after that, it started pelting down again, putting the third day’s play in doubt as well.

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

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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.”