Bell twice on a hat-trick as she and England team-mate claim seven wickets between them

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Lauren Bell took 4 for 37 as the Southern Vipers routed the South East Stars by 158 runs in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Beckenham.Bell was twice on a hat-trick as she wiped out the Stars’ top order, before Charlie Dean then took 3 for 18 to bowl the hosts out for 129.Earlier Ella McCaughan hit 67 and Maia Bouchier 59 in an opening stand of 117, before Georgia Elwiss came in and made 59 to set a stiff-looking 287 for 6.Alice Davidson-Richards had the best figures of the Stars’ nine bowlers with 2 for 30, but it was a chastening afternoon for the home side after last week’s emphatic 131-run win at the Thunder.The Stars had lost all six of their previous 50-over games with the Vipers, including last September’s Eliminator at Beckenham, but any hopes their opponents might still be reeling from last Saturday’s shock defeat to the Sunrisers were ephemeral.The Vipers chose to bat and took full advantage of both a benign wicket and a sub-optimal display by the Stars with the ball, which included 27 wides. They offered few chances and when they did the hosts couldn’t take them.Bouchier was on 42 when she pulled Alexa Stonehouse to mid-wicket and was dropped, while McCaughan survived a difficult stumping chance off Bryony Smith when on 34.Paige Scholfield finally broke the partnership when she bowled Bouchier, who played on and Scholfield then caught McCaughan off Ryana MacDonald-Gay in the covers.Davidson-Richards was the ninth bowler the Stars used, but she struck in her first over when she had Danni Wyatt caught at backward point by MacDonald-Gay for 22.At that point the Vipers were 170 for 3, which was the closest they came to a wobble. Elwiss and Adams responded with a stand of 76, the latter bringing up the 50 partnership with a six off Tash Farrant.Farrant subsequently had Adams lbw for 31 and Dean made four when she chipped Freya Davies to Phoebe Franklin, before Elwiss hit the penultimate ball of the innings, from Davidson-Richards to Smith on the mid-on boundary.The Stars made a bright start to the chase, racing to 26 without loss, only for Bell to strike twice in as many balls. She hit the top off Alice Capsey’s off stump to bowl her for 18 before getting MacDonald-Gay lbw for a golden duck.Smith flicked the hat-trick ball to square leg for two but was out in Bell’s next over, the victim of a brilliant tumbling catch by Dean at extra-cover for 7.Bell found herself on a hat-trick for the second time in the match when Davidson-Richards edged her to Bouchier in the slips but Kira Chatli blocked her next delivery. It was a short-lived reprieve for Chatli, who was caught by Linsey Smith for 20 off Alice Monaghan.Scholfield and Farrant hung around for a while but the former was bowled by Adams 31 and Dean then began to mop up the tail.The end was nigh when she beat Farrant in the flight for 21, beating her in the flight and bowling her leg stump. She then had Alexa Stonehouse caught by Adams for a duck and Franklin snared by McCaughan for nine and the victory was sealed when Freya Davies holed out to Monaghan and was caught by a diving Adams at long off.

He will lead a side with Buttler, who will join on June 1 and play ten group games plus any knockout fixture

Matt Roller24-May-2023Liam Livingstone will captain Lancashire in the 2023 T20 Blast – with his England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler in the ranks for the majority of the season.Livingstone spent a single season as Lancashire’s all-format club captain as a 24-year-old in 2018 but stepped down after struggling for form as the club were relegated from Division One of the County Championship.”I think I was a very different person and player back then,” Livingstone told LancsTV. “I think my experience around the world over the last couple of years will obviously make things a little bit different for me, and we’ve got a lot of players to bounce ideas off so it certainly won’t just be me making all the decisions.”We’ve got a really good squad. I don’t think it’s too difficult a job: we’ve got a lot of experience, we’ve got more experience coming back in – hopefully Jos in the next couple of games. I don’t think it’s a difficult task. We’ve got a lot of people to bounce ideas off and hopefully the team should pretty much captain itself anyway – it’s just a few decisions here and there.”Livingstone will deputise for club captain Keaton Jennings, who sustained a hamstring injury while playing in the Championship last month. “Handing Liam the reins for this summer’s Blast gives us some consistency and allows Keaton to focus fully on his recovery,” Glen Chapple, Lancashire’s head coach, said.Lancashire played in the opening game of the Blast season against Derbyshire on Saturday, winning by four wickets. They initially named Dane Vilas as captain when announcing their squad, but left Vilas out of the side altogether to accommodate Daryl Mitchell and Colin de Grandhomme as their two overseas players and were instead led by veteran batter Steven Croft.Buttler, Livingstone and Phil Salt all returned from the IPL this weekend but Buttler will take a short break before returning to the Lancashire set-up on June 1, when they play Yorkshire at Headingley. He is due to play 10 group games for Lancashire this season – more than he has managed across the last five years combined – as well as any knockout fixtures, having dropped out of England’s Test set-up and with no clash between the Blast and England’s white-ball fixtures this season.”I’m really looking forward to pulling on the Red Rose once again and representing Lancashire Lightning in this summer’s Vitality Blast,” Buttler said in a press release.”To have the opportunity to play so many matches in this year’s Blast is really exciting for me and it’s a chance to really help the team after coming so close in last year’s final.”Lancashire’s next Blast fixture is against Leicestershire on Thursday afternoon.

Fast bowler kept in cotton wool until third Test at Headingley after limited build-up

Matt Roller27-Jun-2023Ben Stokes has revealed that England “wanted to play Mark Wood” in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, starting on Wednesday, but doubts over his durability meant they were forced to select Josh Tongue for his second cap instead.Tongue is the only change from the side that lost by two wickets in the first Test at Edgbaston last week, replacing Moeen Ali as England field an all-seam attack on a pitch that retained a healthy covering of live grass the day before the game.Stokes said that Moeen’s spinning finger, which he cut on his return to first-class cricket last week following 21 months away, had “recovered really well” but a combination of conditions at Lord’s and concerns that he might re-open the wound led to the selection of a fourth seamer.Related

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Wood was England’s leading wicket-taker on the 2021-22 tour to Australia and remains their fastest available bowler, but has not played a red-ball game since England’s tour to Pakistan in December and has not played a competitive fixture since his most recent IPL appearance on April 15. Fitness-permitting, England will unleash him in the third Test at Headingley next week.”We wanted to play Mark Wood,” Stokes said. “We felt that he could definitely start the game but with conversations, we felt the extra week with build-up and getting his loads up would give him a better chance and an opportunity to play a full part from Leeds onwards.”And we brought Tonguey into the team as a like-for-like with Woody. We turned up here at Lord’s and saw there was quite a lot of grass on the wicket, a bit of green. Traditionally, Lord’s has offered more for the seamers and with how Mo’s finger was last week… we just thought we would get more out of our fourth bowler being Josh Tongue this week.”Stuart Broad and Mark Wood kick a football around•PA Images/Getty

Stokes said that Wood had spoken candidly to him after bowling in training on Monday. “Me and Mark are great friends,” he said. “We go back a long way. I spoke to him how I’d want him to operate in this game and he was very honest with me.”He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to give what he’s known for throughout this Test match. So the decision was made to allow him to keep building his body up to give himself the best opportunity to go out, from Leeds onwards, to play a full part.”Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, would not be drawn into speculation about Wood’s fitness, but noted that Josh Hazlewood – whose appearance at Edgbaston had been his first Test in five months – had similarly benefited from sympathetic handling within the Australia set-up.”Over the last six months, everything was to give [Hazlewood] the best chance as possible to be right for this series,” Cummins said. “It’s really rare to have a full squad that’s fit and we are in a really lucky position. Some of that is probably luck, but a lot of that is also the incredible support team who you only really hear about when things go wrong, but they’ve been fantastic to get everyone fit.”Tongue, the 25-year-old Worcestershire seamer, is a surprise inclusion despite the success he enjoyed on this same ground on debut against Ireland earlier this month. He claimed second-innings figures of 5 for 66 to set up a ten-wicket win, and provided a point of difference to England’s attack on a slow pitch that proved difficult for creating wicket-taking opportunities.He has been picked ahead of Chris Woakes, who has a remarkable record at Lord’s but appears to have slipped some way down England’s pecking order, as well as Matthew Potts, who has been released to play for Durham in the County Championship.Stokes suggested that Tongue would continue to be used as an enforcer in an attack that also features James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson. “Broady, Jimmy and Robbo will tell you it’s always nice having someone who can bowl at 90mph doing it,” Stokes said. “Just having that versatility as a bowler this week is going to be very useful.”The only thing that’s different is the occasion for him. He’s had his first Test match, his debut game, which he’s had huge success from. Coming in and being able to use him in a fourth seamer role is something that I’m very much looking forward to him being able to do and I think he’s really looking forward to the challenge as well.”Stokes said Root’s bowling has “gone from strength to strength”.•PA Photos/Getty Images

This is the first time that Stokes has gone into a Test as captain without a frontline spinner in his side, with Joe Root – who bowled 22 overs of offspin at Edgbaston, returning match figures of 1 for 58 – his only part-time option.”He’s gone from strength to strength,” Stokes said of Root’s bowling. “The more responsibility I’ve given him with the ball has brought out another side to Joe. It’s great having someone like that who also averages 50 with the bat – that’s always nice.”Stokes also said that he hopes to “play even more of a part with the ball” in the second Test, after bowling 14 overs at Edgbaston. “I’ve recovered really well,” said. “Last week was a huge confidence boost for me. In all the build-up it was in a controlled environment around just training without having to stand in the field or back days up.”His fitness has been in question throughout the summer and he has bowled with heavy strapping on his left knee. “Being able to bowl that longer spell on the last day was another confidence boost for me,” Stokes added. “At the moment, things are looking good and hopefully I can play even more of a part with the ball in this game.”England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 James Anderson.

Results of extensive investigation by Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket to be published on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2023English cricket is bracing for the publication of an extensive report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) on Tuesday, the day before England Men’s second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s.The commission was instigated more than two-and-a-half years ago in response to the murder of George Floyd in police custody and the Black Lives Matter movement, which prompted numerous claims of institutional racism within English cricket.Cindy Butts, the ICEC’s chair, said last October that the commission had “captured the lived experiences” of more than 4000 people involved in cricket, met with “over 70 individuals and organisations” and collected “over 550 documents from cricketing bodies and experts”.Butts added: “As a commission we have been humbled by the level of courage demonstrated by so many who want to help the game to be equitable, diverse and inclusive.”The report’s publication takes place on the same day as Yorkshire’s sanctions hearing at the International Arbitration Centre, after the club admitted four breaches of ECB Directive 3.3 – which relates to bringing “the game of cricket… into disrepute”.Ollie Pope, England’s vice-captain, said that the team were conscious of trying to make the game as inclusive as possible. “The next guys, doing what we’re doing now in 20 years, we want to have the whole country to choose from, not just a certain group of people,” Pope said. “That’s something we talk about as a team and are aware of.”I think it is [an inclusive sport] but I think there is a lot more we can keep doing as players as well. As an England team, we’re in a great position where we have got all eyes on us. It is definitely something we’re aware of and definitely something we can keep driving forward especially.”We have seen that over the last year or so. Hopefully as a team we can keep doing what we can over the next year or two to keep promoting that, because it is a sport for everyone and I think it definitely, 100 percent, should be.”The report will be published in full on the ICEC’s website on Tuesday.

Imam’s unbeaten 50 steers visitors in a slightly tense and cloudy morning in Galle

Madushka Balasuriya20-Jul-2023It took a little over an hour for Pakistan to wrap things up, as they hunted down the remaining 83 runs in very un-Pakistan fashion – without fuss and little drama. Sure they lost three wickets, but from the very first ball – which was pulled for four – that they’d get there in the end was in little to no doubt. The result means Pakistan take a 1-0 lead against Sri Lanka in this two-match series, and get them off to the ideal start in this new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. It also gives them a first Test win in exactly a year – the last also coming in Galle.Imam-ul-Haq was unbeaten on 50 with Agha Salman for company when the winning runs – a sumptuous loft over long-off for six – were scored. Prabath Jayasuriya ended with figures of 4 for 56 to increase his ever-growing collection of scalps at Galle, but that will be scant consolation for the hosts.And while those of a Pakistani persuasion might have had doubts gnawing away in the back of their minds over a potential collapse, or a snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory performance by the visitors this morning, this was a result that might force a rethink.Related

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On the surface, a four-wicket win when hunting down 131 might point towards some jitters, but this was oddly enough a chase that seemed in control despite those losses.The first delivery of the day in fact provided a microcosm of how both these sides managed their respective briefs throughout this Test, as the sometimes-erratic Ramesh Mendis dragged one short for Babar Azam to put away easily to the boundary behind square leg; Pakistan needed quick runs, Sri Lanka needed to keep things tight, only one side followed the script.This boundary was followed by another later in the over, with the first five overs of the day eventually being plundered for 30 runs. Both Babar and Imam showed uncharacteristic intent during this period, using their feet to the spinners, while the Pakistan captain even gave the sweep a rare outing.When he fell, trapped leg before by Jayasuriya, some of those watching on, familiar with Pakistan’s history, might have been forgiven for bracing for a potential scare. After all, back in 2009, Pakistan had folded alarmingly fast when chasing a similarly paltry total at the very same ground. But this is a new Pakistan – or at least they’re trying to be.They had assured prior to the day’s play that they would play attacking cricket, and so they did, Imam pumping one handsomely over long-off the very next over after Babar’s fall, and Saud Shakeel – the first innings hero – also slashing one behind point.And as the deficit reduced, their intensity only increased. With a little over 20 runs left, Shakeel took Sri Lanka’s best bowler for a pair of boundaries on either side of the wicket. At this point, Shakeel’s average had risen above 100, but he settled for a little less in the end, nicking one through off Mendis before the innings was done.Sarfaraz was the last to fall, top-edging a sweep to deep square leg with just four left to get, but Agha rammed home the point, smoking one long and straight first ball to wrap up the game.As for how long this positive-Pete version of Pakistan carries on remains to be seen, but for the time being, it’s certainly something to be celebrated. Sri Lanka, for their part, have four days to recalibrate on how to combat this new beast and gather themselves for round two in Colombo.

Teenagers to the fore as England dodge delays and DLS to go 1-0 up in series

Alan Gardner31-Aug-2023England slipped and slid to victory on a damp evening in Hove, with Alice Capsey’s rapid half-century and a wicket on debut from Mahika Gaur underlining the sense of promise for a young, experimental side. Although the winning margin was eventually just 12 runs, after Duckworth-Lewis-Stern brought Sri Lanka’s target down to 68 from six overs, there was rarely any doubt that England were the side in control.Capsey equalled her career-best T20I score with 51 from 27, including five fours and three sixes, as England bludgeoned their way to 186 for 4 from 17 overs. Danni Wyatt continued her flying form from the Hundred with 48 from 30 at the top of the order and there were sparky cameos from Freya Kemp and Heather Knight as Sri Lanka’s attack struggled for control in the wet.Sri Lanka had opted to bowl after heavy rain during the day led to the start being delayed by an hour, but there was little assistance from the conditions as Udeshika Prabodhani’s opening over went for 12 and England rattled along at a rate in excess of 10 for the rest of the innings.The upshot was a record chase for Sri Lanka in T20Is, but the weather returned to lend an air of jeopardy to proceedings. Heavy rain took the players from the field with only 3.1 overs bowled – 11 balls short of a result – and the DLS calculations left Sri Lanka with a puncher’s chance, particularly with belligerent skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the wicket. But the 17-year-old Gaur had Athapaththu caught behind and the requirement of 45 off 17 balls proved too much for the tourists.Opening gambit
With Sophia Dunkley rested for this series, and the England selectors opting not to bring Tammy Beaumont in from the cold despite her scintillating Hundred form, Maia Bouchier walked out alongside Wyatt to open the batting for the first time in international cricket. Bouchier had batted exclusively in the lower-middle order during her 19 previous T20Is but was given an opportunity on the back of impressive form at No. 3 for Hundred champions Southern Brave.But it was Wyatt, Brave’s barn-burner and the Hundred’s leading run-scorer, who set the tone. Her first ball was stroked nonchalantly through the off-side ring for four, and three more boundaries came in next over – including a hoick on to the concrete over deep backward square leg – as Wyatt took Sugandika Kumari for 16. Kawya Kavinda’s opening over was even more costly, featuring seven wides and 18 runs all told, and it took two tight overs of offspin from Athapaththu to limit the damage as England cruised to 55 without loss from the powerplay.Bouchier, for her part, launched her third ball down the ground for four but was largely content to rotate the strike and let Wyatt tear it up. She struck a second boundary in the seventh over, slog-sweeping Inoka Ranaweera for six towards the scoreboard – but was then run out looking for a single off the bowling of Kavisha Dilhari, the spinner scampering to her right and throwing down one stump with Bouchier inches short to end a stand worth 77 off 45 balls.Mahika Gaur was presented with her T20I cap•Getty Images

Capsey cashes in
Wyatt fell short of her fifty in the next over, missing a swipe at Ranaweera to be bowled. That heralded the arrival of Kemp, the 18-year-old allrounder making her first England appearance in almost a year after a back stress fracture – an injury that means she is being deployed as a specialist batter in this series. Pushed up above the captain, Heather Knight, she launched a towering six into the Sharks Stand at long-on as Kumari’s second over went for 18.Kemp was stumped off Dilhari a few balls later but Capsey, the third teenager in the XI, took up the cudgels. Having moved to 23 off 17, she triggered Beast Mode with a trio of leg-side sixes in the space of four deliveries from Ranaweera. Having charged out to slug the spinner over long-on, she swivelled on a pull that only just cleared the fielder at deep midwicket and then, after Ranaweera had overstepped, crunched a huge blow high into the crowd in front the pavilion.The 14th over had gone for 22 and the next, delivered by the veteran Prabodhani, cost 17 as Capsey slapped two more fours to go to a 26-ball half-century. She didn’t add to her score, bowled aiming a reverse at Athapaththu, but England were already formidably placed.Gaur gets going
Knight indicated before the game that this was the beginning of a new World Cup cycle for her team, just over a year out from next year’s tournament in Bangladesh, with Gaur the most eye-catching member of the next generation. A 6ft 3in left-armer, Gaur was born in Reading but made her international debut for UAE at the age of 12, and has impressed in the Hundred for Manchester Originals and with Thunder on the regional domestic circuit.In the end, the rain limited her to just two overs but the attributes that saw her fast-tracked through the system after being scouted by Lancashire in 2020 – bounce and swing from a high, left-arm action – were on full display. Her first ball was a nervy leg-side wide that evaded Amy Jones but she soon found her rhythm and, after the resumption, hit back from being clubbed over long-on by Athapaththu to find the Sri Lanka captain’s outside edge for her maiden wicket in England colours.

Defending champions’ “crisis” lasted all of five days before victory over Bangladesh got them back on track

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Oct-20232:54

Trott wants his Afghanistan team to display ‘more consistency’

Big Picture

Much like gap year students, England left Dharamsala having found themselves, arriving in the sprawling metropolis of Delhi on Wednesday with a self-regard more in step with their white-ball dominance over the last eight years.Their “crisis” lasted all of five days. A nine-wicket battering at the hands of New Zealand led to much introspection, but an equally dominant victory over Bangladesh has eased more than just Net Run Rate woes.Reece Topley regarded the result as “a step in the right direction”, one he facilitated with 4 for 43 after being drafted in to replace Moeen Ali. Throw in strong starts from Dawid Malan and Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow ticking and Mark Wood back up to speed, and things are beginning to look more balanced and settled for the defending champions.They will be the first to tell you this is a marathon, not a sprint. South Africa, India and New Zealand may have charged out in front, but England’s seasoned vets know the drill. Tapering is the name of the game, in a format that allows the odd misstep. It also helps that bitter rivals Australia are flunking, making that route into the top four a little less crowded.Related

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England did not need to experience defeat in their opener to narrow their focus, but it does mean they will not take Afghanistan lightly. Whether Ben Stokes makes his first appearance of the campaign – the signs in training have been encouraging, though he is likely to be kept in cotton wool – this represents another opportunity to tune up, especially for a middle order that has yet to flex their wares, Jos Buttler included.All that is far from ideal for the tenth-placed side, who have shown flashes of their best selves among two broadly ineffectual displays. Rashid Khan’s failure to launch, not helped by being used questionably by captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, has given a usually sparkling line-up a dour complexion. Below-par scores batting first has also meant exciting left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi has had little to work with, particularly at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Wednesday when India made light work of their 273 target, knocking it off with 15 overs to spare.These failings have been put into perspective by matters at home. Around 1,000 Afghans have lost their lives after earthquakes hit the west of the country this week, with thousands more injured. Beyond donations of match fees to help those affected is a sense of duty to lift spirits with an upturn on the field. The healing power of sport only extends so far, but Sunday is an opportunity to offer emotional relief for both fans and the players themselves.This will be only the third meeting between these two teams in the format, both previous occasions coming in World Cups. Eoin Morgan’s 17 sixes at Manchester in 2019 blasted England to a score of 397 for 6 batting first, a total they threatened to better against Bangladesh last time out before stumbling through the back end of their 50 overs. They will fancy something similar if they get first dibs on one of the best batting decks in the competition.Dawid Malan is all smiles after reaching yet another ODI century•Getty Images

Form Guide

England WLWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan LLLLL

In the spotlight: Adil Rashid and Mohammad Nabi

It has been a quiet start for Adil Rashid, the kind that makes idle minds wonder. The 35-year-old has so far managed a solitary wicket – that of Bangladesh’s Mahedi Hasan – from 17 overs that have cost 89 runs. He arrived in India as something of an injury doubt, after a tight hamstring kept him out of all but the first of four ODIs against New Zealand in September (taking 1 for 70 in eight overs). Not to mention a long-term right shoulder issue requiring constant management. He was noticeably slower against Bangladesh with 32 per cent of his deliveries below 80kph, compared to 10 per cent versus New Zealand, suggesting a change of tact, though he did have more runs to play with. A notable haul on Sunday would be welcome for a player expected to sign off from ODIs next month.Mohammad Nabi is another at the back end of his career but is not exactly wearing his advancing years lightly. Scores of 6 and 19, aligned with 0 for 18 and 0 for 32 speak of a wider downturn in form. He has just one ODI half-century in his last 21 innings, a period that stretches over the last three years, and is averaging 39.70 with off-spin lacking its usual guile. At 38, his status as a trailblazing cricketer is secure, but some vintage Nabi would be a neat reminder of how he earned that status, and help Afghanistan avoid the wooden spoon.Mohammad Nabi took time to get going against india•ICC/Getty Images

Team news

Chris Woakes missed Friday’s training session due to a stomach illness but was back with the group on Saturday evening. Nevertheless, England may use this as an opportunity to give David Willey his first appearance of the tournament and could also be tempted to hand Gus Atkinson a start to rest Mark Wood. Stokes netted for around half an hour at the final training session, though only faced sidearm throws rather than bowlers.England: (possible) 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Reece TopleyJonathan Trott was tight-lipped about potential changes. There is an outside chance left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed is drafted in, but that would require a major rebalancing of the XI given how little he offers with the bat. They are expected to go in unchanged.Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), 5 Azmatullah Oarzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pitch and conditions

There is fresh, live grass on the surface, which suggests plenty of pace and carry. Both teams are anticipating another belting track, akin to the one last week which South Africa used to great effect, setting a World Cup record of 428 for 5 against Sri Lanka.

Stats and trivia

• England and Afghanistan contested the first T20i at this venue during 2016’s World T20. Afghanistan were on the cusp of an upset, reducing England to 85 for 7 before Moeen Ali and David Willey put on a 57-run stand, then combined for three wickets as England triumphed by 15 runs.
• Ramat Shah is set to earn his 100th ODI cap.
• Mohammad Nabi is set to pick up his 150th ODI cap.

Quotes

“We don’t want to look at what could go wrong: we’ll look at what we can do right and how we can affect the game in the right manner. That’s how we’ll prepare. It’s about going in and delivering that.”
“I don’t think Rashid needs the conditions to suit him to cause mayhem. I can’t speak highly enough about the guy and the way he performs and his passion for playing for the side. I know that he puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform and to lead the attack.”

How the ten IPL squads stack up after the player retention deadline of November 26, ahead of the auction on December 19

Deivarayan Muthu26-Nov-20230:46

Moody: RCB releasing Hasaranga and Hazlewood a surprise

Mumbai Indians: Hardik’s back

Mumbai Indians didn’t finalise Hardik Pandya’s return* by the retention deadline on Sunday, but the trade happened shortly after. They also traded allrounder Cameron Green to RCB to free up their auction purse, after releasing 11 other players.Players released: Arshad Khan, Ramandeep Singh, Hrithik Shokeen, Raghav Goyal, Jofra Archer, Tristan Stubbs, Duan Jansen, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Chris Jordan, Sandeep WarrierPlayers traded in: Hardik Pandya, Romario ShepherdPlayers traded out: Cameron GreenPlayers retained: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason BehrendorffPurse for the auction: 17.75 CR

Gujarat Titans: Who will succeed Hardik?

Now that Hardik’s gone, the Titans will have to appoint a new captain for the 2024 season. The rest of their core squad that won them the IPL title in 2022 and took them to the finals in 2023 remains largely intact.Players released: Alzarri Joseph, Odean Smith, Dasun Shanaka, Yash Dayal, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Pradeep SangwanPlayers traded out: Hardik PandyaPlayers retained: David Miller, Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Josh Little, Mohit SharmaPurse for the auction: 38.15 CRRelated

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• Royals trade Padikkal for Super Giants' Avesh in straight swap

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Hazlewood, Hasaranga, Harshal out

RCB need to overhaul their bowling attack, having released Wanindu Hasaranga, recent ODI World-Cup winner Josh Hazlewood, David Willey and Wayne Parnell. They retained England left-arm quick Reece Topley, but he is prone to injuries. Mohammed Siraj is the only certain starter among bowlers in their list of retained players, and they have traded in Green from Mumbai.Players released: Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Sonu Yadav, Avinash Singh, Siddharth Kaul, Kedar JadhavPlayers traded out: Shahbaz AhmedPlayers traded in: Mayank Dagar, Cameron GreenPlayers retained: Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Vyshak VijaykumarPurse for the auction: 23.25 CR2:06

Will CSK splurge on Cummins at the auction?

Chennai Super Kings: Stokes released

As expected CSK released Stokes, who had opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload. The departure of both Stokes (INR 16.25 crore) and Rayudu (INR 6.75 crore), who has retired from the IPL, will allow CSK to bid aggressively for overseas allrounders and quicks at the auction.Players released: Ambati Rayudu, Ben Stokes, Dwaine Pretorious, Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati, Akash Singh, Kyle Jamieson, Sisanda MagalaPlayers retained: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Chowdhary, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha PathiranaPurse for the auction: 31.4 CR

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw stays

Capitals have placed faith in Shaw once again despite his poor season in 2023, but they lack power in the middle order following the release of Rovman Powell. They will be on the lookout for a finisher and a fast bowler.Players released: Rilee Rossouw, Chetan Sakariya, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Phil Salt, Mustafizur Rahman, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ripal Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Khan, Priyam GargPlayers retained: Rishabh Pant, David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Yash Dhull, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Mitchell Marsh, Pravin Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh KumarPurse for the auction: 28.95 CR

Rajasthan Royals: Holder, Root released

Royals had hoped Jason Holder would lend balance and depth to their side last season, but they barely used him with the bat and failed to get the best out of him with the ball. A gun overseas allrounder will be top priority on their shopping list at the auction.Players released: Joe Root, Abdul Basith, Jason Holder, Akash Vashisht, Kuldip Yadav, Obed McCoy, M Ashwin, KC Cariappa, KM AsifPlayers traded out : Devdutt PadikkalPlayers traded in : Avesh KhanPlayers retained: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Adam Zampa, Prasidh KrishnaPurse for the auction: 14.5 CR3:42

Was holding onto Andre Russell a good option for KKR?

Punjab Kings: Shahrukh, a surprise release

Releasing Shahrukh Khan (INR 9 crore) into the auction pool has allowed Kings to retain allrounder Sam Curran, who had become the most expensive player in the IPL (INR 18.5 crore) at the previous auction. If Kings can’t buy Shahrukh back at a lower price, they need a new domestic finisher.Players released: Shahrukh Khan, Raj Bawa, Baltej Dhanda, Mohit Rathee, Bhanuka RajapaksaPlayers retained: Shikhar Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Rishi Dhawan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shivam Singh, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Vidwath Kaverappa, Harpreet BhatiaPurse for the auction: 29.1 CR

Kolkata Knight Riders: Several quicks among 12 players let go

KKR, like RCB, have overhauled their pace department, letting Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur and Tim Southee go among others. They also need a back-up wicketkeeper batter for Rahmanullah Gurbaz, having released both Litton Das and N Jagadeesan.Players released: Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Mandeep Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, N Jagadeesan, David Wiese, Aarya Desai, Litton Das, Johnson Charles, Shakib Al HasanPlayers retained: Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shreyas Iyer, Jason Roy, Anukul Roy, Andre Russel, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Varun ChakravarthyPurse for the auction: 32.7 CR1:55

Moody: SRH might regret adding Harry Brook back in the auction pool

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Brook cut loose

Harry Brook headlines Sunrisers’ list of released players, but they already have a ready middle-order replacement for him in Glenn Phillips. Their spin attack, though, appears thin following the releases of Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein and Mayank Dagar, who was traded for Shahbaz Ahmed.Players released: Harry Brook, Adil Rashid, Akeal Hosein, Karthik Tyagi, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth VyasPlayers traded out: Mayank DagarPlayers traded in: Shahbaz AhmedPlayers retained: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Anmolpreet Singh, Upendra Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Sanvir Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Mayank MarkandePurse for the auction: 34 CR

Lucknow Super Giants: Unadkat, Sams let go

LSG released eight players – none of whom can lay claim to being first-XI players, though new coach Justin Langer said it was hard for the franchise to let Daniel Sams go. Having also traded Romario Shepherd to Mumbai, LSG will eye overseas allrounders at the auction.Players released: Daniel Sams, Karun Nair, Jaydev Unadkat, Manan Vohra, Karan Sharma, Suryansh Shedge, Swapnil Singh, Arpit GuleriaPlayers traded out : Romario Shepherd, Avesh KhanPlayers traded in : Devdutt PadikkalPlayers retained: KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Prerak Mankad, Yudhvir Singh, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Amit Mishra, Naveen-ul-HaqPurse for the auction: 13.15 CR*.

The dissolution was precipitated by Sri Lanka’s exit from the ongoing World Cup, amidst public outcry at the team’s being dismissed for 55 at the Wankhede

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Nov-2023Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe has sought to sack the Sri Lanka Cricket board, replacing officials with a government-appointed “interim committee” headed by Arjuna Ranatunga. It is unclear as yet what the ICC’s response to this move is, given the ICC had taken a dim view of Sri Lanka’s last government-appointed committee in 2014.Under Sri Lanka’s own Sports Law, however, the government has the power to dissolve the governing body of any sport – a power it has used several times on SLC in the last 20 years. But during the time of the most-recent interim committee, which presided for roughly a year between 2014 and 2015, the ICC had refused to disburse payments owed to SLC, and held those funds in escrow until a fresh board was elected by SLC’s members. SLC was also demoted to observer status at ICC board meetings.The dissolution was precipitated by Sri Lanka’s exit from the ongoing men’s World Cup, amidst public outcry at the team’s being dismissed for 55 at the Wankhede against India. But trouble had been brewing for over a year, with the sports minister frequently accusing the board of financial misappropriation and mismanagement.Ranatunga has also separately spoken publicly about what he would change if put in charge of cricket in the country.He is the only former international cricketer in the interim committee, however. The others in the seven member committee are SI Imam, Rohini Marasinghe, and Irangani Perera (who are all retired judges of either the Supreme or High Court of Sri Lanka), Upali Dharmadasa, who has previously held top positions in SLC, and Rakitha Rajapakshe and Hisham Jamaldeen, who are sons of politicians belonging to the same ruling, political coalition as sports minister Ranasinghe. Rajapakshe and Jamaldeen work in law, and real estate respectively.Soon after Sri Lanka’s defeat to India last week, Ranasinghe had sent a letter to the other Full Member boards accusing SLC of “mismanagement” – a letter which he sought to essentially pave the way for his appointing his own committee.The ICC’s board is due to meet in the two weeks, and Ranatunga will expect to act as Sri Lanka’s director (the ICC board is made up of directors from all full member nations) at that meeting.

He will be returning to competitive cricket during the BPL in January

Mohammad Isam27-Nov-2023Tamim Iqbal will ‘wait till January’ to make a decision about his future in international cricket.”After the World Cup, I felt that there should be a decision about my international future,” Tamim said during a press conference on Monday. “Throughout my career, I have always kept myself away from indecision. I have always been very open and clear about whatever decision I have taken in my life. I was not in the country for quite some time, so this meeting [with BCB president Nazmul Hassan] was due.”We held the meeting today because we had to postpone it yesterday too. Today is actually not a great day to do all this. The Test match [against New Zealand] starts tomorrow. Since we had to do the meeting today, a statement afterwards was always forthcoming, so I apologise that I am doing this the day before the game. It is important for me and the Bangladesh team that there’s no impact of this in the game.”Related

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Tamim had retired from international cricket last July, only to reverse his decision after meeting Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina the following day. A month later, he also resigned from ODI captaincy. Tamim then played two out of three ODIs against New Zealand in September, even as his successor Shakib Al Hasan had later criticised him for leaving the captaincy at the time. Tamim is yet to respond to Shakib.Tamim said that he was holding back the announcement about his future at Nazmul’s request, adding that he will be returning to competitive cricket during next year’s Bangladesh Premier League in January.”I don’t want to keep things hanging for a few more months. I don’t want to stretch it unnecessarily,” he said. “After discussing a lot of things with the president and the board, I want to respect their decision and wait till January. I could have told you my plan today, but let me play in the BPL, and then we will have another discussion for sure.”Nazmul, meanwhile, said major discussions regarding the issue with Tamim will be done only after national elections – where Nazmul has got the ticket from his home district alongside Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza – in January.”There wasn’t enough time [to discuss matters with Tamim],” Nazmul said. “He said some stuff. But he came at a time when I didn’t have enough time for him. I have the elections in a month. I spend most of my time in my constituency. I told him I will listen and speak to a few more people after the elections. I want to know where the problem is. I want to go into its depth.”