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They will begin their tour of India with a three-match T20I series in Jaipur, just three days after losing the T20 WC final

Deivarayan Muthu15-Nov-20211:45

Vettori: New Zealand one of the best all-round teams across formats

New Zealand are scheduled to face India in the first T20I of a three-match series, in Jaipur, just three days after losing the T20 World Cup final to Australia in Dubai. New Zealand will then kick off their World Test Championship defence with two games in Kanpur and Mumbai. Gary Stead, the coach of the team, called the schedule “tough and challenging”, but there isn’t an option.The Test players, who are not part of the T20I squad, are already in India. The New Zealand support staff will have to juggle with training the Test players in the morning and the T20I group later in the evening while in India.Related

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• Marsh, Warner muscle Australia to T20 World Cup glory

“It’s the first time that I can remember that we’re so quickly into another series immediately at the back-end of the T20 World Cup,” Stead said. “It’s definitely tough and challenging but it is what is in front of us. We’ve got nine-ten guys in India already, who are preparing for those Test matches, and hopefully we can get up and have a really great performance against India.”Some of New Zealand’s players have had a particularly busy time, in bio-bubbles of varying elasticities in the recent past. Ten of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad were part of the IPL too; others like Glenn Phillips and Jimmy Neesham were part of the Hundred prior to that. Phillips had also turned out for Barbados Royals in CPL 2021. Meanwhile, the likes of Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman and Ish Sodhi have also spent extended periods in the UAE bubble after New Zealand abruptly called off the Pakistan tour in September, citing concerns around security.

Cricket on ESPN+

Match highlights of the Men’s T20 World Cup final is available in English, and in Hindi (USA only).

During the T20 World Cup, former India T20I captain Virat Kohli had also cautioned against player burnout in trying to “cover up” for cricket lost to Covid-19.New Zealand will also have to make a call on their regular captain Kane Williamson, who has been managing an elbow injury, which flared up during the warm-ups ahead of the T20 World Cup.Meanwhile, there is optimism around Lockie Ferguson’s return to action on the India tour. Ferguson had been sidelined from the entire T20 World Cup with a calf tear, hours before New Zealand’s opener against Pakistan in Sharjah. He has since resumed bowling at the nets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in addition to training with Tommy Simsek, the physio.”In terms of Lockie, I think he is pretty close,” Stead said. “We will just make sure we get over there, travel okay and there’s no issues like seizing up on the flight or anything like that. But I’d expect that he’s going to be available for selection, which will be fantastic.”With all the guys that are going to prepare for the Test matches, we just have to make that call over there – whether we think it’s in the best interests of them and also in the best interests of the team being that the Test matches are more of our priority, I think, in the next month than what the T20 matches will be.”

“One of my mantras is you can’t control the scoring if you don’t control the length”

Mohammad Isam09-Jan-2022Bangladesh head coach Ottis Gibson wants his bowlers to bowl better lengths to control New Zealand’s scoring in the ongoing second Test, at Christchurch. New Zealand bounced back from defeat in the first Test, with Tom Latham, Will Young and Devon Conway guiding them to 349 for 1 at stumps on the opening day.Though Bangladesh bowled out New Zealand twice in the previous game, and eventually beat the home side for the first time in New Zealand, their bowlers produced an average bowling performance on Sunday.”We have to learn from today,” Gibson said. “We bowled too many four-balls today. Too many balls wide outside the offstump. When we missed our lengths, we got cut or got too full to be driven. You can’t allow the batters to score down the ground and both sides of the wicket. One of my mantras is you can’t control the scoring if you don’t control the length. We didn’t control the length today to build pressure on them.”Gibson, however, conceded that such performances are bound to happen at the highest level. “We saw the highs and lows of international sport today. Last week, we were on a high. We are, perhaps, still feeling the effects of last week’s emotional and physical investment. We didn’t hit our straps.”New Zealand would have been hurting from last week. They showed why they are one of the best teams in the world. They applied themselves. They left a lot better. They showed us why they are holding the [WTC] mace at the moment,” he said.Gibson said that Latham’s approach of leaving as many balls as possible in the first session paid off as Bangladesh were then forced to bowl at him. But, he also said the green pitch at the Hagley Oval didn’t quite play up to its high reputation of helping the fast bowlers.”I thought Latham played really well. He left a lot of good balls early this morning. He made us bowl to him. Unfortunately, we didn’t bowl enough good balls to create the sort of pressure we created last week. Conway is in unbelievable form.”The pitch didn’t do as much as we expected. But we didn’t bowl as well as we could have done either. When we bowled full, there wasn’t a lot of seam movement.”Gibson felt that winning the first Test on the back of a good bowling performance and conceding a lot of runs on Sunday were both part of the learning curve for his still-green bowling attack.”The guys have been going forward. Ebadot [Hossain] is our most experienced seamer with 12 games. Taskin [Ahmed] is playing his ninth, Shoriful [Islam] is playing his third. Look at the inexperience of the bowling attack and see where they got to last week in terms of growth and learning, but again, today is a lesson for them,” he said.

Pat Cummins grateful he’s not a selector with some tough decisions to made in Sydney

Andrew McGlashan29-Dec-2021Last week left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel was left out of the New Zealand Test squad the match after taking all 10 wickets in an innings against India. It is not inconceivable that Scott Boland becomes another name on the list of those left out after a spectacular display with no certainty that he will line up at the SCG despite taking 6 for 7 on debut.Boland tore through England on the third morning in Melbourne having claimed two wickets in his opening over the evening before. It earned him the Johnny Mullagh medal as Player of the Match in an historic and emotional occasion.It has added to the fast-bowling riches Australia’s selectors currently have to choose from having had to explore the depth on offer during this Ashes – with outstanding results. Boland, Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser have all featured alongside the ‘big three’ and it is a credit to them (although also a sad indictment of England’s batting) that the absences of Pat Cummins in Adelaide and Josh Hazlewood in the last two Tests has barely been felt.Related

• Mitchell Swepson waits his chance, as SCG and subcontinent tours loom

• Selectors ready for 'hard conversations' around Australia's bowling depth

• 'Who does that? Scott Boland does. Our ancestors stand proud with him'

• Ashes thrashings excites Pat Cummins for challenges ahead

• Scott Boland's blitz – how MCG six-for sealed Ashes

During the MCG Test, Hazlewood returned to bowling in the nets and was hopeful of being ready for his home-ground fixture in Sydney but there is no need to rush him if any doubts remain over the side strain he picked up in Brisbane.Richardson suffered some lower left shin pain after his successful return in Adelaide where he claimed five wickets in the second innings with a cautious approach taken over him by being left out in Melbourne. Boland, with his six-wicket haul, may have pushed ahead of Neser in the pecking order although his selection has been termed ‘horses for courses’ due to his fine record at the MCG.But figures of 6 for 7 become hard to ignore and the Sydney pitch may be another to suit Boland’s wicket-to-wicket lengths. In five first-class matches at the SCG he has 15 wickets at 24.73.”It’s one of those good days where as captain I can firmly say I’m not a selector because good luck to them,” Cummins said. “The niggle to Jhye presented the opportunity to Scotty but I thought it was a really brave call by the selectors to bring in Scotty for this game and full credit, they’ve made the right call. Jhye will hopefully be available, Josh will hopefully be available, no idea. It’s a luxury at the moment.”Scott Boland has been the latest Australia quick to make their mark•Getty Images

One option available is to potentially rest Mitchell Starc who is the only Australia frontline quick to have played all three matches so far although there will be a reluctance not to have someone in such fine form in the continued push for a whitewash. One factor that may be considered is that the final Test in Hobart will be with the pink ball which is where Starc can be so dangerous.Starc is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 14 at 19.64. He claimed a wicket with the first ball in Brisbane, took on the senior role in Adelaide and was a central figure in the electric final hour on the second day in Melbourne.”For me, he’s been just about the player of the series so far. Just fantastic,” Cummins said. “We saw in Adelaide how he lifted and led the attack. Think this summer he was gone to a new level. He’s experienced, but he’s found another gear, with the ball that’s not swinging he’s beating the outside edge consistently.”He’s been titanic for us. We spoke at the start of the summer how there was external pressure, but zero internal pressure. We know what a superstar he is. He’ll go down as one of the all-time great Aussie bowlers. We’ve got to remember that sometimes. He’s shown his class in all conditions. Feel so lucky to have someone like that in the team.”The one specialist bowler in the Australia squad yet to feature is uncapped legspinner Mitchell Swepson and while it would appear unlikely he will play in this series Cummins indicated there would be an open mind going into the SCG.Swepson will likely be needed in Australia’s upcoming overseas assignments next year and has been a regular part of Test squads over the last 18 months without being able to join Nathan Lyon in the XI. The development of Cameron Green’s bowling opens the door for a twin-spin attack but they will be wary of overburdening the allrounder and have seen England’s vulnerability to pace.”It might be a spinning track and you’ve got Mitchell Swepson bowling beautifully. It’s a luxury at the moment,” Cummins said. “If Swepson debuted and then suddenly he’s off to a subcontinent tour, you’d think that experience would be a good thing for just about everyone.”Once you play one your next one’s probably going to be a little bit better. But it’s an Ashes series, we’re going to pick the best 11 that we think is going to win that Test match in Sydney.”

Jofra Archer has been listed in the auction but he is unlikely to feature in the 2022 season

Gaurav Sundararaman and Nagraj Gollapudi01-Feb-20222:53

Newsroom: Should teams gamble by picking likely-absentee Jofra Archer?

R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Pat Cummins, Quinton de Kock, Shikhar Dhawan, Faf du Plessis, Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami and David Warner. These ten players will be part of the marquee set that will ring in the 2022 IPL mega auction, which this time will be a two-day event, scheduled on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru.Related

• Five strategy questions that could make or break the IPL 2022 auction

• How Jofra Archer could be bought through a secret bid at the IPL 2022 auction

• Warner, Rabada, Cummins among prominent players likely to miss first chunk of IPL 2022

• 'I want to come back as the Natarajan of old'

• The building blocks of a good IPL auction strategy

On Tuesday, the IPL sent out its final auction list, which has been halved from the original longlist of 1214 players to a pruned version, based on the wishlists of the ten franchises, comprising 590 players. This final list includes 44 new names that were registered in the auction pool upon the request of the franchises.Archer enters auction, but unlikely for 2022 season
One of those 44 happens to be the England fast bowler Jofra Archer, who the ECB recently said is in the final stages of his recovery from elbow surgery, with a planned return to all cricket in June. In the email sent to franchises on Tuesday, which has been seen by ESPNcricinfo, the IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin has said that Archer would be part of the accelerated set of players, which will commence from Player No. 161.Amin also said the ECB had made it clear that Archer was “unlikely” to play in IPL 2022 and if any franchise picks him and he doesn’t turn up, they would not be able to get a replacement. “The ECB has registered Jofra Archer for the auction with a view to potential participation in 2023 and 2024, as due to his current injury it is unlikely that he can participate in IPL 2022,” Amin said. “Therefore, his name has been included in the auction list, but he won’t feature in the marquee or other sets to be presented. He will be available to be called during the accelerated auction and whoever picks him will not get a replacement player for IPL 2022 season for his place as he is already injured and unlikely to participate in IPL 2022 season.”Harshal Patel was the highest wicket-taker of IPL 2021•BCCI

Of the 590, there are 228 capped players, 355 uncapped, and seven from Associate countries. Following the marquee players, the auction will alternate between sets of capped and uncapped players. The order will be batters, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers and spin bowlers.There are several players in the first round – capped and uncapped – who could potentially end up being among the biggest buys this auction. This includes the India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who decided to enter the auction despite both the new IPL teams – Lucknow Supergiants and the Ahmedabad team – learnt to have expressed strong interest in acquiring him pre-auction.Other key names in this first round of capped players include Harshal Patel, IPL 2021’s highest wicket-taker, Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh, the player of the T20 World Cup final, West Indies white-ball vice-captain Nicholas Pooran, young India opener Devdutt Padikkal, and allrounder Jason Holder, who this week set records in the T20I series against England including becoming the first West Indies player to bag a hat-trick in the format. There are also experienced hands and T20 stars in the first round including India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo, and former India allrounder Suresh Raina.Dewald Brevis, who enjoyed an eye-catching Under-19 World Cup with South Africa, could be a potential buy with an eye to the future•Cricket South Africa

Another player who is likely to attract attention is the 18-year-old Dewald Brevis, who recently made headlines with his batting exploits for South Africa at the Under-19 World Cup. He is currently the tournament’s leading run-getter, with 368 runs from five matches at an average of 73.60, and six-hitter, having cleared the rope 11 times. Scores of 65, 104, 96 and 97 in his first four innings made him the first South Africa batter to make four successive 50-plus scores at an Under-19 World Cup. He has also bowled 30.5 overs of legspin, picking up seven wickets, the second-most for South Africa.Brevis, nicknamed “Baby AB”, has caught the eye of several franchises, who have told ESPNcricinfo that his fluent technique makes him a good buy with an eye on the future.Odean Smith cuts his base price, Shahrukh increases his
West Indies’ Odean Smith, who had originally listed his base price in the highest bracket of INR 2 crore in the auction longlist, has now cut it down to INR 1 crore. The 25-year-old big-hitting allrounder made a splash in the CPL and more recently in the T10 league and in white-ball cricket for West Indies. He was a net bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders last season, along with left-arm fingerspinner Akeal Hosein, but is yet to make it to an IPL franchise’s main squad.Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan, who has been added to India’s squad for the T20I series against West Indies as a standby, features among the first round of uncapped players, which will start from Player No. 55. Shahrukh, tall and muscular, is rated by IPL franchises as one of the most powerful finishers in domestic cricket and is likely to be one of the biggest buys in the uncapped category.Shahrukh has increased his base price from INR 20 lakh to INR 40 lakh, after having reportedly rejected a deal from his previous franchise Punjab Kings. Shahrukh powered Tamil Nadu to the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title earlier this year with a last-ball six in the final, and also impressed during the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy that followed.

Alex Carey and Cameron Green added 135 before Australia lost five wickets in a session

Tristan Lavalette22-Mar-2022
Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali chipped away at Australia’s first innings of 391 after quick Naseem Shah had earlier staged a spectacular fightback for Pakistan to leave the deciding third Test in the balance.Pakistan reached stumps on day two at 90 for 1 with in-form Shafique 45 not out and Azhar unbeaten on 30 as the hosts trail by 301 runs. Naseem’s brilliant 4 for 58 from 31 overs marked by reverse swing mastery helped restrict Australia and move this match forward with the series deadlocked after two draws in batting friendly conditions in Rawalpindi and Karachi.Naseem’s expertise with the old ball dashed Australia’s hopes of a massive first innings total on a slow surface in the first Test played in Lahore since 2009. Australia, however, still managed a decent score on a pitch offering some welcome assistance for weary bowlers, with cracks evident, but Pakistan started their first innings reasonably comfortably during a prolonged final session lasting 39 overs.Related

• Gen Z boys Naseem and Green bring back '90s memories

• Cameron Green, Alex Carey and the acing of a subcontinent test

• Is Abdullah Shafique the real deal?

• Another Steven Smith fifty, another Steven Smith non-hundred

• Naseem Shah: 'Had to bowl our hearts out' to get life out of Lahore pitch

After Naseem’s exploits provided a spark, Pakistan’s response started slowly and a stalemate ensued as Australia waited for signs of reverse swing. Their wish was granted in the 11th over bowled by Cameron Green prompting skipper Pat Cummins to bring himself back on and he struck immediately after removing Imam-ul-Haq lbw for 11. After twin centuries in Rawalpindi, left-hand opener Imam has thudded back to earth with three straight failures.Cummins could have had a second wicket after in-form Shafique edged between wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Steven Smith at first slip, who were both stationary. It was a frustrating missed opportunity for Australia and continued the struggles behind the stumps for Carey and Smith this series.Finally batting on his home ground in his 94th Test, Azhar started with a gorgeous drive to the boundary and then counterattacked spinner Nathan Lyon with a six over long-on. With stumps approaching, he shut up shop and defied a tantalising late burst from Cummins.After his tough debut, where he finished with the figures of 2 for 188 from 62.4 overs, legspinner Mitchell Swepson came on in the 22nd over and almost had Azhar stumped then produced deliveries that skidded low but turn was minimal.After Naseem’s reverse swing prowess, there was expectation that Mitchell Starc could replicate something similar but he struggled to find the type of rhythm that crashed through Pakistan’s first innings in the second Test.Cameron Green was cleaned up by some excellent bowling from Naseem Shah•AFP/Getty Images

After winning a crucial toss, Australia’s first innings comprising 133.1 overs was a rollercoaster and dominated by two century partnerships. Usman Khawaja and Smith rescued them from 8 for 2 with a 138-partnership before Green and Carey produced a record 135-run partnership in the highest sixth-wicket stand for Australia in Pakistan.Having started the second day in a delicate position at 232 for 5, Carey and Green batted fluently through the first session to frustrate Pakistan and restore Australia’s control. But they both missed out on maiden Test centuries after falling early in the second session leaving Khawaja as Australia’s only centurion of the three-match series.Australia had appeared set for a commanding first innings total until they lost five wickets in the middle session, as they crumbled under a superb spell of reverse swing from Naseem who was rewarded for unwavering bowling through the innings.In a riveting contest between two of cricket’s brightest young talents, Naseem had the last laugh when he clean bowled Green with a gem of an inswinger to end the allrounder’s 163-ball knock. Green fell just short of his highest Test score of 84 but it was another impressive innings from the 22-year-old who showcased a mixture of strong defence, marked by an intent on getting his huge frame forward, and exquisite strokes on the off side.Carey, in his eighth Test, also produced an encouraging performance to help strengthen Australia’s middle-order after notching his second straight half-century. Having entered the series under some pressure after an inconsistent Ashes with bat and gloves, Carey’s 105-ball knock was marked by superb driving to thwart the quicks and perfectly executing reverse sweeps to fluster the spinners.Pakistan’s five-pronged attack toiled manfully amid oppressive conditions after appearing to be staring down the barrel of again conceding a massive first innings score. But they hung in and took full advantage of reverse swing after lunch through young guns Naseem and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who also claimed four wickets.Naseem’s scintillating burst late in the middle session was a rare sight of ball dominating bat in this series. In a more familiar sight, an arm wrestle ensued in the final session as little separated these teams after two days.

The five-time IPL champions are missing Suryakumar Yadav, but have all their other bases covered

Sruthi Ravindranath26-Mar-2022

Big picture

Rohit Sharma vs Rishabh Pant. The India captain against his possible successor (that’s what Delhi coach Ricky Ponting thinks – he finds their journeys similar too). A predictable narrative but potentially a blockbuster one. The two big Indian names aside, these are two strong sides that have made sure to fill their squads well at the auction. Mumbai may be the five-time champions, but Capitals have been the team to beat in the last couple of years. It’s five-all between these teams since 2018, but Capitals did the double over Mumbai last season. Both the sides have solid top orders and enviable fast-bowling depth, and a number of Under-19 stars in their squads to groom.Related

• Capitals have solid first XI but player availability a concern

• Mumbai tick most boxes, but where's the top-quality spinner?

But Capitals will be missing some of their biggest overseas names for this game. David Warner and Mitchell Marsh are fulfilling their national commitments, Anrich Nortje is continuing his recovery from an injury, Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman are in quarantine. This means they only have two overseas players around – Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell – and will have to rely on inexperienced back-ups. That makes it Advantage Mumbai.On that front, Mumbai don’t too much to worry about, but key man Suryakumar Yadav is out with a hairline fracture in his right hand.It was a disappointing season for Mumbai in 2021, but they would be looking to return in . They have managed to assemble their strong core – comprising Rohit, Suryakumar, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah – which has been their biggest strength over the seasons. Kishan, who will open with Rohit, has superb numbers at that position – 555 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 156 – in the IPL. The middle-order has Pollard and Tim David – they both have struck at 163 since 2020 in T20s. The death bowling has got a massive boost with the addition of Tymal Mills. Their only big concern as of now remains the lack of experience in the spin department – and possibly enough powerplay-specialists among the bowlers.Tymal Mills’ acquisition should add muscle to Mumbai Indians’ death bowling•Mumbai Indians

In the news

Just two overseas players to pick from, which means both Seifert and Powell should play for Capitals. In fact, Pant has already said that Powell will bat at No. 4 or No. 5 this season.Suryakumar linked up with the team after being released on Saturday by the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he had been in rehab for the past few weeks. How soon he can get in the middle, though, remains to be seen.

Likely XI

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Tim Seifert, 3 KS Bharat/Mandeep Singh, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Chetan SakariyaMumbai Indians: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Anmolpreet Singh/ Dewald Brevis, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Tim David, 7 Sanjay Yadav, 8 Tymal Mills, 9 Jaydev Unadkat, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Strategy Punt

Pant in the middle, doing just Pant things? Call Bumrah. Bumrah has dismissed Pant the most number of times in T20s – six in 12 innings. Since Pant’s IPL debut in 2016, it’s been a one-sided rivalry between the two. Pant has also struck at just 112 against the quick.

Stats that matter

• The last time Mumbai won their opening game of any IPL season was in 2012
• Fast bowlers have picked up more than 75% of the wickets at this venue – Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium – in the IPL
• Axar Patel needs to strike five more times to tally 100 wickets in the IPL

Yorkshire seamer made England debut in Barbados but is a major doubt for the 2022 season

Matt Roller17-May-2022Matthew Fisher is unlikely to feature for England this summer after scans revealed that his back injury was worse than initially feared.Fisher, 24, made his Test debut in Barbados in March as a late replacement for the unwell Craig Overton and took a wicket with his second ball, having John Campbell caught behind. He finished with match figures of 1 for 71 but would have been in contention for the first Test of the summer if fit, not least with a swathe of English fast bowlers unavailable through injury.Fisher was initially diagnosed with a “stress reaction” in his back following Yorkshire’s win against Gloucestershire in their first County Championship fixture this season and was expected to miss a month of cricket.Related

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• Shah makes Middlesex return as white-ball batting consultant

• Fitness, form present familiar dilemmas as England prepare to name first Test squad of new era

• Mahmood ruled out of season with back stress fracture

• Robinson's lack of appetite raises more doubts about Test recall

But the reported on Monday evening that Fisher had suffered a stress fracture and Yorkshire confirmed in a statement that he is “set for a longer spell on the sidelines” than first thought.”Fisher’s rehabilitation program has been progressing well and the club’s medical staff will continue to monitor and work with the young fast bowler with his long term performance in mind at all times,” Yorkshire said.”Initially I’d said four weeks,” Ottis Gibson, their head coach, had said on Sunday. “But further reports from the medical team seem to suggest that’s going to be a slower process than anticipated. Because of his injury history, we’re going to have to take a more cautious approach with him.”Fisher is expected to miss the majority of the 2022 summer and it is highly unlikely he will have bowled enough overs to be considered for their final Test against South Africa, which starts on September 8.ESPNcricinfo understands that Fisher’s Hundred team, Birmingham Phoenix – for whom he signed a £50,000 contract last month – have already started to look at replacement options in the expectation that he is unlikely to play any part in the tournament, which runs from August 3-September 3.Tom Helm, who played for Phoenix in 2021 but was not retained and went unsigned in the draft, is understood to be the frontrunner after a bright start to the Championship season with Middlesex.

At the same time, he sees ‘big things coming’ from pace duo of Fernando and Rajitha

Mohammad Isam23-May-2022Two wickets for 416 runs in 157 overs. These are the damning numbers of Sri Lanka’s spinners in the tour of Bangladesh so far. And Chris Silverwood, their new head coach, didn’t mince words when he was asked to assess their performance.On Monday, Sri Lanka had Bangladesh on the mat at 24 for 5, and then saw Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim add an unbroken 253-run stand that rescued the hosts. Spin accounted for 49 out of the 85 overs on the day, but none of the four bowlers could pick up a wicket.”We could have bowled a lot better but it is something we will talk about in the dressing room,” Silverwood said. “I think we need to bowl much better line and lengths. We gave too many balls away to hit. That’s something we have to work hard on to rectify. There’s no point hiding from it.”Silverwood, in particular, rued substitute Kamindu Mendis dropping Litton on 47 in the second session “Obviously it is disappointing to not push on from the start we got,” he said. “I thought we exploited the early movement fantastically well. The two seam bowlers [Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando] were exceptional again, in their discipline, the way they asked the batters questions.”Unfortunately we didn’t back it up after that. From there on, we gave away a lot of scoring opportunities. When we did force an error, we didn’t take that catch. It would have made a huge difference. It proved very costly to us.”While Silverwood was disappointed with the spinners, he was effusive in his praise for the new-ball bowlers. The coach was particularly pleased with how Fernando and Rajitha worked in tandem and believes he is seeing the makings of a strong Sri Lankan pace attack.”It does (give us hope),” he said. “In my second game in charge, I am having a good look at what we have got, and what we haven’t got. It does give me a lot of hope in the fact that in a very short period of time, we have managed to install discipline in the seam bowlers so that they can make a difference.”Whether it is attacking off-stump or bowling short. It worked in the last game, and created an opportunity in this game. But we didn’t take. It does give me a lot of hope. There’s room for improvement but we have to do it quickly. It is something that excites me.”

Tom Prest provides support act for Hawks captain as visitors fall well short

ECB Reporters Network17-Jun-2022Hampshire 221 for 3 (Vince 100, Prest 52) beat Kent 167 for 8 (Denly 49, Wood 2-26, Ellis 2-26) by 54 runsJames Vince demolished Kent Spitfires with an obscene Vitality Blast century as Hampshire Hawks romped to a fifth straight victory.Hawks skipper Vince recorded his third T20 century with exactly 100 in 54 balls as he combined with Tom Prest – who impressed with his second format fifty – for a 128 stand for the second wicket. With Ross Whiteley’s six-ball 23, the hosts bashed their third-highest T20 score of 221 – something Spitfires never looked like chasing, eventually falling 54 runs short, in front of the largest Ageas Bowl crowd of the season.After four straight losses to start the Blast, Hampshire have got on a roll and moved into the top four for the first time. Holders Kent remain rooted to the bottom of the South Group with two wins from nine.Having been stuck in, Hampshire were only 32 for 1 – Ben McDermott skied Grant Stewart – at the end of the powerplay, and 12 of those came in the sixth over. That inauspicious start ramped up as Prest and Vince found their gears quickly.They started by using the expansive Ageas Bowl outfield to milk ones and twos, before accelerating into boundaries. The turning point from normal accumulation to intergalactic striking was Stewart’s third over which went for 25 runs. Prest started with a slog-swept six before Vince rounded it out with six, six, four.From then on, the Hawks flew. Only one over in the second half of the innings went for fewer than nine runs. Both Prest and Vince reached half-centuries in 34 balls as they became the first Hampshire duo to put on 100 together in a T20 versus Kent.After Vince had taken George Linde for 17, including a huge maximum over the leg side, Qais Ahmad ended the partnership on 128. Prest’s slog sweep only went up as he departed for a season-best 52.If Vince had noticed his partner had morphed into Joe Weatherley or not his steely demeanour and crisp ball-striking wasn’t affected. His second fifty came in 19 balls – making it 53 balls in total – and was coloured by three towering sixes into the leg side and five fours. He fell a ball later, which only brought Whiteley to the crease. He and Weatherley put on 40 in 10 balls to take Hawks miles past 200 – with 30 coming off the final over.The enormous score, albeit the third-highest around the country on Friday night, was only beaten in Hampshire’s record books by 249 at Derbyshire in 2017 and 225 versus Middlesex at home in 2006.Kent’s reply couldn’t have started worse as Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jordan Cox were both caught in the ring before the end of the third over. Sam Billings was bowled by James Fuller not long after, but Joe Denly and Alex Blake added 54 to momentarily fight back.Denly drilled to long off, Alex Blake to long-on, Linde to a sprawling mid-off, Jack Leaning was cleaned up and Qais was caught and bowled as Kent ended up on 167 for 8 and Hampshire cruised to the two points.

It has written to the ICC asking for the issue to be discussed at the AGM in July

Umar Farooq16-Jul-2022The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed concern about the rising number of T20 leagues competing for space in the calendar and has written to the ICC suggesting that a working group be formed to evaluate the impact of franchise cricket on international cricket.The PCB outlined its issues in a letter to the ICC earlier this month; it proposed that the ICC CEO head the working group and prepare a report in three months. One of the PCB’s primary concerns is that Pakistan loses the opportunity to play international cricket during an extended window earmarked for the IPL.The IPL has had an unofficial two-month window in the calendar for several years, but in the ICC’s next Future Tours Programme (FTP) from May 2023 to April 2027, a draft of which has been obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the window for the IPL has been extended to two and a half months – from late March to early June. In addition, the ECB and CA have also carved out windows for the Hundred and the BBL in their respective schedules, during which England and Australia will not play international cricket.Related

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With several other boards, including the PCB, striving to make space for their own leagues, the draft FTP broadly affirmed the growing primacy of franchise T20 cricket in the international calendar.”One particular agenda Pakistan will have during the [ICC AGM] meeting is the domestic T20 leagues,” PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain said. “We are a little concerned that the proliferation of domestic leagues around the world is sucking time out of the international calendar. There are new leagues that are evolving in two to three months… We want this to be discussed, and form a proper strategy.”Hasnain confirmed that the PCB had written to the ICC expressing its concerns, and it is understood that the ICC has added the issue to the agenda for the AGM in July. The PCB also claimed that two other boards also had similar concerns. In its letter, the PCB stated that it was the role of the ICC to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for its members.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The IPL window is of particular concern for the PCB because its players have not been part of the world’s biggest T20 league since 2008, and though India and Pakistan play each other at ICC and ACC events, they have also not contested a bilateral series since 2012-13 because of strained political relations between the two countries.An extended IPL window in the next FTP would mean that Pakistan will not be able to play top-flight teams during that period, while the other boards get compensated to an extent by receiving a percentage of their players’ IPL salaries. The PCB urged the ICC to come up with a model that helps boards make up the loss in revenue incurred because of a window that is reserved for T20 leagues during the peak season.Since 2016, the Pakistan board has organised its franchise T20 league – the PSL – during its home season between February and March, but there is no window for the tournament in the international calendar. And with the planned increase in the number of PSL teams from 2026, it will be a challenge for the PCB to find space to accommodate its league and bilateral cricket in a packed calendar.According to Hasnain, the draft for the next FTP cycle is 80% complete. A number of tours that are yet to be confirmed could be finalised by the ICC’s AGM on July 25 and 26 in Birmingham, England.