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Glamorgan stay in line for promotion as Worcestershire resist the chase

ECB Reporters Network03-Jul-2019Glamorgan 449 and 246 for 5 dec (Labuschagne 100, Selman 58) drew with Worcestershire 370 (D’Oliveira 103) and 143 for 1 (Ferguson 70*, Mitchell 64*)Marnus Labuschagne soon reached the ten runs he needed for his second century of the match and fifth of the Championship season, but Glamorgan’s meeting with Worcestershire crawled to a draw as the visitors made no attempt to chase down their target of 326 in 66 overs at Sophia Gardens.Worcestershire ended on 143 for 1 in glorious sunshine. Ever since the first morning when Joe Leach inserted Glamorgan, his team were on the back foot and, apart from Brett D’Oiveira’s splendid all-round performance, his team lacked confidence and will need to improve if they have any hopes of a return to Division One after this season.At tea, the visitors needed a further 219 from the remaining 34 overs, and with Glamorgan employing attacking fields and the explosive Rikki Wessels next in, there were hopes that Worcestershire might have a go, but the tactics remained unchanged and the supporters – some from over the border – began to drift away disappointed with what they had seen.Glamorgan had added 109 runs during the morning session and were 325 runs ahead at lunch when David Lloyd declared.Labuschagne failed to add to his hundred when he swept D’Oiveira to deep square leg, and after Nick Selman had completed two fifties in the game, and Lloyd went for 12, Dan Douthwaite struck a brisk 40 before departing shortly before lunch.Worcestershire lost Josh Dell for 1 in Lukas CareGlamorgan Head Coach Matthew Maynard said “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come.With five championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion, but after Middlesex it will be all T20, and after that back to red ball cricket”.y’s second over, but Daryl Mitchell and Callum Ferguson soon settled into their productive partnership against a Glamorgan attack that had minimal assistance from a placid pitch.Ferguson reached his fifty from 75 balls, but Mitchell failed to show any attacking intent and faced 24 more balls than his partner to reach a painstaking fifty.Glamorgan gained 13 points from the game to remain unbeaten and stay in contention at the top of Division Two, while Worcestershire took 10 points ahead of next week’s game against Derbyshire at Kidderminster.Glamorgan head coach Matthew Maynard said: “I thought it was an excellent cricket wicket although it didn’t break up as much as I thought it would. I thought we had a chance, but Worcestershire weren’t interested, which was a bit surprising as they had some quality batsmen to come. With five Championship games to go we stand a good chance of promotion.”

Muslim Uddin’s camp for women cricketers in Bogra, run out of a toilet converted into an office and storeroom, has produced international cricketers such as Khadija Tul Kubra, Ritu Moni and Sharmin Akhter

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2018A local coach has found an innovative way to deal with the lack of funds and support for women’s cricket in Bangladesh. Muslim Uddin, who runs a training camp at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra, a district town situated 200km north of Dhaka, has settled upon a toilet in the stadium to be his office and equipment storeroom.Muslim, an assistant coach under the Bogra Sports Association, has been running this camp for the last 11 years. The camp was initially backed by the district women’s sports body but after they pulled out of the programme, such was his commitment that he continued the training camp on his own volition. And with some success too – he has so far produced international cricketers such as Khadija Tul Kubra, Ritu Moni and Sharmin Akhter.Women’s cricket is still in its nascent stages in Bangladesh, with only a handful of districts like Bogra, Khulna, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Jessore thought to be serious about it. Dhaka, the capital, also has a few women’s cricket training academies. Bogra stands out, mainly because of Muslim.The toilet, as described in a report earlier this week, is about 35-40 square feet in area. It has three stalls and a couple of sinks and mirrors. Bats, balls, stumps, nets and pads rest on top of the toilet seats while a vase adorns the flush tank. Pictures of cricketers hang on the wall. The sink is filled with cricket balls.”We had another room which we had to give up,” Muslim told . “I asked for this toilet as it wasn’t being used. My players and I really did a good job organising this room. We have been keeping our things here for the last three years.”Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, BCB’s high performance manager now in charge of women’s cricket, said characters like Muslim were making a difference in the development of women’s cricket in Bangladesh.”I know Muslim personally,” he said. “Thankfully, he is not externally motivated, but internally motivated. He is happy at seeing his players develop into club-level and international-level cricketers.”Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh selector who was on duty in Bogra during a first-class match last week, said Muslim’s ingenuity at making catching bats and nets and other equipment for batting training was impressive.”What he has so thoughtfully produced is very useful,” Bashar said. “I am surprised to see that these can be made locally. I don’t see much of a difference between what he has made and what the international teams even use.”It is estimated that currently around 300 female players take part in at least some training at all levels in Bangladesh, with 22 clubs in Dhaka running a two-tier league system. The BCB also has an eight-team division-level competition, and is now hoping to begin an Under-18 programme at the division level to create a pathway for budding cricketers.

England eased to a 117-run victory in their first warm-up match in West Indies, but the batting was more impressive than the bowling

George Dobell in St Kitts25-Feb-2017
ScorecardBen Stokes was in the runs, but the bowling wasn’t quite so successful•Getty Images

What a great leveller this game can be.A few days after becoming the most expensive overseas player in the IPL’s history, Ben Stokes saw his only complete over of England’s first warm-up match in St Kitts thrashed for 23 by a 20-year-old playing only his eighth List A game.To be fair to Stokes, who had earlier made a half-century, the 20-year-old is some talent. Shimron Hetmyer, the former captain of the West Indies side that won the Under-19 World Cup, timed the ball beautifully and, having clipped Stokes’ first ball for six over square leg, laced a couple of boundaries through the off side before finishing the over with a pull over mid-wicket for another six. Two wides and a no-ball completed the picture and meant that, at that stage, Stokes’ last 10 deliveries in an England shirt against Caribbean opposition – going back to Carlos Braithwaite’s four sixes – had cost an eye-watering 47 runs.Under normal circumstances, none of this would warrant much attention. Even the best endure bad days, after all, and warm-up days like this exist to help brush off the rust. All recent evidence suggests that, come the big occasion, Stokes will be the man England rely upon.But coming, as it did, a few days after Stokes’ auction success, it demonstrated the pressure that he will be under every time he steps on to a pitch these days. He can no longer be considered a promising allrounder in the developmental stage of his career; he is a world star whose every move will be studied and followed. There will always be great expectation; there will always be scrutiny. His life has changed and it may not all be for the better.Still, with four of their top five making half-centuries and a final victory margin of 117 runs, Stokes’ tough over was a minor blip in a generally satisfactory day for England.It showed how far they had come since they last visited St Kitts. At that time, less than two years ago, they were still reeling in the aftermath of their wretched 2015 World Cup performance. During their match against a St Kitts Invitational XI, it was announced that Paul Downton, the managing director of the England teams, had been sacked and the coaching staff were informed, ominously as it transpired, there would be no further changes “while they were on tour.” Peter Moores was subsequently sacked the moment England returned.They are a much-changed white ball side now. It’s not just the personnel that is different, though the absence of the top run-scorer and wicket-taker in their ODI history (Ian Bell and James Anderson respectively) is notable, but that the mentality has changed. Remarkably, given how poorly they performed in the most recent global ODI event, several bookies make them favourites for the Champions Trophy to be played in June. It seemed unthinkable in April 2015.Chadwick Walton made 121 in the run chase•Getty Images

It’s not hard to see what their resurgence has been built upon. Their uncompromisingly aggressive batting helped them race to 239 for 2 at the 30-over mark here and, with Joe Root and Eoin Morgan well set, it appeared a world record List A score might be achievable. Only one side in history (Surrey against Gloucestershire at The Oval in 2007) have ever reached 450 in a List A game and there seemed every chance England could become the second.As it was, they scored a relatively modest 140 from the final 20 overs of the innings despite nearly 100 in the final 10. With the balls softer and the pitch slowing, timing the ball became more difficult and it took some muscular late hitting from Stokes, who was dropped three times in an innings that become more fluent as it progressed, and Liam Dawson to take them above 350.Still, with Jason Roy looking in sublime form – he did not field due to a hand bruised by a succession of tough fielding drills but is not a serious injury concern – and runs for Root and Morgan, England could be well satisfied with this work out for their batsmen.Only Sam Billings, who was brilliantly caught at point, and Jos Buttler, who played-on attempting to force the pace, missed out but both are likely to have another chance on Monday. Billings, in particular, probably needs to take every chance with Alex Hales potentially returning imminently.The bowling was less impressive. While Steven Finn, who had not taken a wicket in any form of cricket since September despite having racked up some air miles, all but ended the match as a contest with wickets from the second and fourth balls of the second over of University of West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI reply, there were times when Morgan seemed to lack the options required to stem the flow of runs.Not for the first time, the edge offered to the side by the extra pace of Mark Wood was sorely missed. Chris Woakes (rested) and David Willey (injured) were also missed, but it may be upon Wood’s seemingly fragile ankle that England’s Champions Trophy hopes rest.That the UWI side made over 250 was largely due to the excellence of Chadwick Walton. A good enough player to have represented West Indies in two Tests – albeit during the Floyd Reifer period of captaincy when the best players were unavailable due to a disagreement with the board – he was also part of a record Caribbean List A score only a couple of weeks ago when he made a century as Jamaica amassed 434 against Trinidad and Tobago in the Super 50 competition. He has played a few ODIs, too, and made it into a full strength Test squad as a reserve keeper.At one stage, he thrashed Dawson (who was otherwise admirably frugal) for three successive sixes, while Liam Plunkett was hit for the shot of the day: a straight driven six that thundered back over the bowler’s head.Such things will happen in limited-overs cricket. As Jermaine Levy, the latest man to concede 100 in a List A match, will tell you: modern white-ball cricket is very much a batsman’s game.

Brendon McCullum blasted into history with the fastest Test hundred of them all to leave Australia speechless and grant New Zealand a first-innings foothold on an unforgettable first afternoon at Hagley Oval

The Report by Daniel Brettig19-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:51

Farrell: McCullum goes out all-tatooed-guns blazing

He’s not going quietly. Brendon McCullum blasted into history with the fastest Test hundred of them all to leave Australia speechless and grant New Zealand a first-innings foothold on an unforgettable day at Hagley Oval.Arriving at the crease with the hosts a floundering 32 for 3 in the 20th over of the innings, McCullum launched an immediate counterattack in the lead-up to lunch. On resumption he stepped things up further in the company of a similarly fearless Corey Anderson, and spanked Josh Hazlewood over wide mid-off to reach his century in a mere 54 balls – two fewer than Viv Richards in 1986 and Misbah-ul-Haq in 2014.Most of Test cricket’s fastest hundreds have been compiled in circumstances that heavily favoured batsman, whether it be the pitch or the match scenario. Not so this time, as McCullum and Anderson overcame the obstacles of a lively pitch, a dominant Australian attack and a day one scenario that would traditionally have called for dogged defence.Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird had all bowled demanding spells with the new ball, but none were able to find an answer for McCullum’s assault. Vitally, an outstanding catch by Mitchell Marsh when McCullum had made 39 was rendered meaningless when the replay showed Pattinson had overstepped.It would have been Australia’s third brilliant catch of the innings, after the captain, Steven Smith, snared a pair of thrilling one-handed takes to dismiss Tom Latham and Kane Williamson. The second of these was made still more impressive by the fact that Smith was partly obscured by a helmet-clad David Warner, posted at a short third slip close to the bat.After useful innings by BJ Watling and Matt Henry, New Zealand were ultimately bowled out for 370, leaving Australia with a testing period to bat in the evening session. The tourists’ over rate was less than optimal during the afternoon, something that may result in a fine for Smith, though more than 12 months after his previous transgression, against India in late 2014.Warner and Joe Burns began carefully, weighing up conditions that still provided some challenges to the batsmen. Boult was particularly testing, gaining just enough movement to draw an edge from Warner that was comfortably held in the slips. Burns and Usman Khawaja did well to get to stumps, but there is plenty of work yet to be done.As was the case in Wellington, Smith did not hesitate in sending New Zealand in on a pitch even greener than that served up at the Basin Reserve. Hazlewood and Pattinson found extravagant seam movement immediately, leaving Martin Guptill and Latham groping for the new ball.Guptill was particularly troubled by Pattinson deliveries that cut back into him, and an inside edge squeezed off the body presented a chance to the short leg, Joe Burns, who grassed it. Another opportunity was not long in coming, and this time Burns did well to propel himself forward for the catch.A period of stalemate followed, as Williamson and Latham tried to dig in. There were multiple plays and misses, and pressure built through some diligent work by Hazlewood, Pattinson and Bird. Eventually, Bird gave Latham one to drive, and the batsman’s slightly hesitant movement drew an edge towards the slips. It was probably Adam Voges’ catch, but Smith removed all doubt by flinging himself brilliantly across for a one-handed classic.Hazlewood had bowled beautifully without reward, but he now homed in on Nicholls, who had edged a ball going across him on day one in Wellington. This time Hazlewood seamed one back down the line, and pinned Nicholls in front of the off stump. Richard Kettleborough gave it out, and the batsman’s review only confirmed the fact.All this time Williamson had been battling for survival, his back thigh taking a battering as he was often turned around by seam movement. Sensing momentum needed to change, McCullum walked out with his mind set on attack, and, after accepting a gracious guard of honour from the Australians, he did exactly that.McCullum’s first shot flew fortunately over the slips, but he subsequently found his range, and one Mitchell Marsh over was dispatched for no fewer than 21 runs including a pair of sixes. The Hagley Oval crowd came to life, and Australia’s grip on proceedings was loosened.They tightened it again when Smith swooped to claim Williamson, but Pattinson’s overstep shifted momentum back towards New Zealand. The reprieve allowed McCullum to carry on charging at the bowlers with all the crazy brave belief of a man who knows his luck is in.There were almost as many edges as full-blooded shots, not unlike Ian Botham at Headingley in 1981, but on a surface offering useful sideways movement this was to be expected. What McCullum did achieve was to throw Australia’s bowlers off the optimum approach for the pitch.Rather than pursuing the edge of the bat, the visiting pacemen dropped shorter and shorter, inviting McCullum and Anderson to use a horizontal bat. What resulted was an avalanche of runs that put New Zealand firmly back into the match and left Australia pondering a more challenging pursuit than they had faced in Wellington.Aside from McCullum’s thrilling display, the overall scoring was equally eye-popping. No fewer than 199 runs came between lunch and tea, 161 in 16 overs after Pattinson’s no-ball. When McCullum finally hit one within reach of an Australian fielder to depart for 145, Hagley Oval stood as one. It may as well have been the whole of New Zealand.

United Arab Emirates kept their unbeaten record on their tour to Canada intact, defeating the hosts by 72 runs in the first Twenty20 in Toronto

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Aug-2013
ScorecardUnited Arab Emirates kept their unbeaten record on their tour to Canada intact, defeating the hosts by 72 runs in the first Twenty20 in Toronto.Choosing to bat, UAE piled up 157 for 7, a total built around opener Mohammad Azam’s 51-ball 70. Azam and Abdul Shakoor gave UAE a strong start, sharing a stand of 42. However, regular wickets in the latter half of the innings weakened UAE’s chances of posting a bigger score. Swapnil Patil and Shaiman Anwar, who had been in good form coming into the match, fell for 11 and 13. UAE had another setback when Azam and Amjad Javed were out in consecutive deliveries to pacer Harvir Baidwan in the 17th over. Azam’s 70 included nine fours and one six. Nasir Aziz and Ahmed Raza hit some quick runs towards the end to take the score past 150.In reply, openers Rizwan Cheema and Ruvindu Gunasekera gave Canada a start of 34 in 6.3 overs but the innings simply wilted after Cheema fell for 20. Gunasekera tried to keep the innings together, but watched helplessly as Hiral Patel, Usman Limbada, Raza-ur-Rehman and debutant Damodar Daesrath went for single-figure scores. Gunasekera soon fell for 33 to make it 69 for 6 and Canada managed just 16 more before folding for 85. Shadeep Silva missed a hat-trick in the 16th over to end with 2 for 15. Left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza was the most successful bowler for UAE, finishing for 3 for 11 off 3.2 overs.

The BCCI has begun its investigation of the corruption charges against five players, with Shalabh Srivastava deposing before its inquiry commission

Nagraj Gollapudi16-May-2012The BCCI has begun its investigation of the corruption charges against five players, with Shalabh Srivastava deposing before its inquiry commission in New Delhi.The hearing was conducted by Ravi Sawani, head of the new anti-corruption wing announced by the BCCI on Saturday. Sawani, whose last job was heading the ICC’s ACSU, has been given 15 days to carry out his investigation and report to the BCCI.Srivastava, part of the Kings XI Punjab squad before his suspension on Tuesday, was allegedly caught on tape negotiating a fee for bowling a no-ball; India TV, which carried out the sting, ran the audio of the tape and showed footage of a player bowling a big no-ball in a limited-overs match. Srivastava has since denied any such incident.No official comment was made on the hearing, which was held at the Maurya Sheraton hotel. It is believed that while Srivastava attended in person, and was seen at the hotel for more than an hour, the rest were contacted over the phone.Sawani – who forms the one-man committee – will give the players time to present their defence both in person and in writing. It is also understood that at this stage there will be no legal personnel involved on either side.This will be Sawani’s first test, less than a week after his appointment to the job and before he has had time to either become acquainted with workings of the board or assemble a team.The other players suspended by the BCCI are Mohnish Mishra, T P Sudhindra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali. Mishra remained in Pune, where he has been suspended by his IPL team Pune Warriors. However, a Warriors official said he was being given “the benefit of doubt” until his case was completely heard.Another franchise, Kings XI Punjab – which has two players, Srivastava and Yadav, implicated in the sting – issued a media release, stating that it would support the investigation and abide by any decision eventually taken by the BCCI if any player was found guilty. The statement echoed comments made to reporters by the team captain David Hussey.Meanwhile, India’s sports minister Ajay Maken said the BCCI’s probe should go deeper than just the five players. “I have already said, and I am emphasising again that BCCI should go into the root cause of the problem,” he said. “Suspension of five players is not enough. BCCI has to come out with a long-term solution to sort out this mess.”He also suggested that the BCCI should de-link itself from the IPL, citing the example of football’s English Premier League. “IPL should be at a arm’s distance from BCCI. It should not be under BCCI. IPL and BCCI should be away from each other so that there is no overlapping of interests,” he said. “If you look at English Premier League and other leagues world over, they always have distance from their parent sports federations.”

“This is what West Indies cricket is about,” Darren Sammy, the team’s captain, said after a morale-boosting win over Pakistan in the first Test in Providence

ESPNcricinfo staff15-May-2011″This is what West Indies cricket is about,” Darren Sammy, the team’s captain, said after a morale-boosting win over Pakistan in the first Test in Providence. There was much talk off the field in the lead-up to this Test: there was criticism about Sammy’s form, the absence of key players from the squad for the series, differences between senior players and the board, but West Indies emerged victors in a low-scoring encounter to put those issues on the back-burner. They also ended up depriving Pakistan of an opportunity to win a Test series in the West Indies for the first time.”We as a team needed this performance,” Sammy, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bowl out Pakistan for 178, said. “Lately, things hadn’t been going well but I had the belief, this team had the belief.”Sammy failed with the bat, but finished the game with seven wickets. Two other performances stood out for West Indies, that of Devendra Bishoo in his debut Test and Ravi Rampaul, who had taken only four wickets in five Tests prior to the match, but took seven in the game, including crucial strikes early in both innings. “Rampaul looks fit, and has worked really hard with Ottis Gibson [the West Indies coach]. It was a tough decision to pick between him and Fidel Edwards,” Sammy said.The batsmen, said Sammy, did well to hang in there on a tough pitch in both innings. “It was a difficult pitch. We found ourselves not playing the spin too well. But I commend the guys for the effort, they batted out time and put in a total which in the end was enough to get the victory.”We saw how the wicket played on the first day and it was good to see West Indies battling, batting out the whole day.”West Indies’ team manager, Richie Richardson, added: “I thought Pakistan had the better part of the pitch but it was great to see the way our players applied themselves and went out there and played their hearts out. The bowlers stuck to the task and did a fantastic job. We also saw some resolute batting when it was required.”What we are trying to build is a team. We are working on the total team concept, where players will have the confidence to go out and perform and know they have a role to play.”Pakistan were 80 for 3 overnight, chasing 219, but lost Asad Shafiq early on the fourth day. Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, and Umar Akmal put together a half-century stand but there wasn’t much support from the lower order against a spirited West Indies performance. Misbah acknowledged the better team had won.”To lose this Test is disappointing, they played better cricket and bowled disciplined lines,” he said. Misbah praised Saeed Ajmal for his maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests – Ajmal finished with 11 – but rued missed opportunities and allowing the last-wicket pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devendra Bishoo to extend the lead to 218 in the second innings.”We dropped so many catches and gave away so many runs to the lower order. We were a little disappointing from the batting point of view also,” Misbah said. “We fought well yesterday [Saturday] to recover after losing early wickets, but most of our guys got out to good balls.”The second Test gets underway at St Kitts on May 20.

Australia’s selectors have forgiven Michael Clarke for his poor form in Twenty20, naming him to captain Australia against Pakistan in England in July

Cricinfo staff24-May-2010Australia’s selectors have forgiven Michael Clarke for his poor form in Twenty20, naming him to captain Australia against Pakistan in England in July. Clarke will lead the side for the two Twenty20s in Birmingham on July 5 and 6 despite his struggles with the bat in the shortest format, where his strike-rate of 101 is well below par.Clarke was praised for his attacking captaincy at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, where he guided Australia to the final, but he needs to lift his scoring rate to justify his position as a batsman. He has been given virtually the same squad, with the only change being the omission of Tim Paine due to the reduced need for a backup wicketkeeper.”We don’t have any doubt that he [Clarke] has a definite role to play in Twenty20 cricket, which predominantly is a little bit different to some,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. “We’ll be looking for him to bat through an innings when we need it. He didn’t quite do that over there but we weren’t concerned about it.”The positive side was I think his captaincy was extraordinary and our tactics in Twenty20 cricket were far in advance of where they’ve been. Our field was I thought the best in the tournament so there were lots of positives. Obviously we lost the final so that was devastating but the other side of it is that we won six on the trot and if we’d won seven on the trot it would have been a record that maybe wouldn’t have been broken in Twenty20 cricket.”In the 50-over arena, Shaun Marsh has been chosen to make his comeback to international cricket after missing the tour of New Zealand in February with a back injury. Marsh has replaced Adam Voges in the ODI squad for the one-off game against Ireland in Dublin that kicks off the tour of June 17 and the five one-day internationals against England that follow.However, the squad to take on Pakistan in two Tests from mid-July won’t be named until several contenders have fronted up for Australia A late next month. The absence of Phillip Hughes due to a shoulder injury means Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger and the Australia A captain George Bailey will be jostling for the role of backup Test batsman when they face Sri Lanka A in Brisbane.That series will also give Ben Hilfenhaus a chance to continue his steady return from knee tendonitis. Hilfenhaus has been chosen in the four-day Australia A squad and is hopeful of proving himself fit for the Tests against Pakistan, having not played for his country since the first Test of the home summer back in November.”Ben Hilfenhaus is making good progress with his knee tendon injury,” the physio Alex Kountouris said. “As part of his rehabilitation he has commenced bowling and has spent some time at the Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence during the past week. So far he has coped well and if his progress continues with an increasing bowling workload over the coming weeks, he’ll take his place for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in preparation for possible selection in the Test squad.”Peter Siddle is recovering well from a lower back stress fracture sustained during the Australian summer. However it was felt that there was too big a risk for his to return for the tour of England and Ireland, particularly with the important 12 months coming up. Peter remains on target to return to the playing field at the start of the Australian domestic summer. Brett Lee is recovering from the elbow muscle injury that he picked before the ICC World Twenty20 and is yet to commence bowling.”The Australia A squad also features Mitchell Marsh, the brother of Shaun and captain of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad this year. He will be joined by another player with cricketing blood, James Pattinson, the Victoria fast bowler whose brother Darren played a Test for England in 2008.ODI squad Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Clint McKay, Doug Bollinger.Twenty20 squad Shane Watson, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Daniel Christian, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.Australia A four-day squad Ed Cowan, Usman Khawaja, Michael Klinger, George Bailey (capt), Peter Forrest, Andrew McDonald, Tim Paine, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Hilfenhaus, Josh Hazlewood, Peter George, Mitchell Starc.Australia A one-day squad Tim Paine, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, George Bailey (capt), Travis Birt, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Mitchell Marsh, Xavier Doherty, Brendan Drew, James Pattinson, Jake Haberfield, Josh Hazlewood.

The renovation work could impact the Test against England in Karachi

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2024The PCB is confident that Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the National Stadium in Karachi will be ready in time to host the Champions Trophy next year, though ongoing work could continue to impact their bilateral commitments this season, including the Test against England in Karachi.The board has already moved the second Test against Bangladesh, originally scheduled in Karachi, to Rawalpindi. Speaking to reporters on Monday in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, acknowledged that “matches [during the season] may move back and forth but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy”.England play their second of the three Tests in Karachi, from October 15-19. In announcing the switch of Bangladesh’s Test to Rawalpindi on Sunday, the PCB did not exactly nail down Karachi as a venue for England.Related

• Gaddafi redevelopment picks up pace as Champions Trophy nears

• Pakistan women miss out on daily allowances at training camp

• Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi

“At this stage, we will not like to speculate on the hosting of the second Test in Karachi from 15-19 October and will continue to work closely with the architects and construction experts on the safe and secure hosting of the match, while keeping the England and Wales Cricket Board updated,” the statement said.The fluidity of the situation is evident in how the switch in venues for Bangladesh occurred. Two days after posting ticket prices online, the PCB announced the Karachi Test would be played behind closed doors with no spectators. Then on Sunday they announced they were moving it to Rawalpindi, because they wanted to ensure the renovation work went on uninterrupted and that hosting a game while such major work was being undertaken could have an impact on the game.Naqvi confirmed on Monday the reasons for the move. “Our calculation was that we could do matches without crowds, but various security institutions and the police said that even if there are people working inside, you shouldn’t host a match.”That talk with journalists has led to some reports that Naqvi implied a change in venues or dates for the Champions Trophy from the draft schedule the PCB has submitted to the ICC. In a statement on Tuesday the PCB emphatically denied that was the case.”During the media talk, which is available on the PCB’s official YouTube channel, the PCB chair clearly stated that the redevelopment and redesign of the three designated stadia would be completed on schedule, ensuring readiness to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB chair also mentioned that while some domestic matches may need to be shifted to facilitate uninterrupted construction work, this in no way pertains to the ICC Champions Trophy, which remains a priority for the PCB as a premier eight-team international event.”During that media talk, Naqvi did point to the pressing need for this renovation work. “Our stadiums and those abroad, there is a massive difference,” he said. “In no way were our stadiums international-standard stadiums. None of our stadiums could qualify internationally. Not the seats, not bathrooms, and a view that looks like you are watching from 500 metres away. If I want to stay in a 1980 model then great, but the world has gone far ahead.”Naqvi pointed out that while both stadiums in Lahore and Karachi are eventually undergoing total upgrades, partial renovation between now and early next year will mean they are ready in time for the Champions Trophy.”Right now we have five months,” he said. “In that time, definitely the two enclosures on either side [in the Gaddafi stadium] and the main building [will be ready], that is the focus for now.”The stadiums will be totally upgraded. Not just this but we plan to have a new stadium in Islamabad, in Abbottabad, we want to work on that as well. A few stadiums that we don’t operate – we’ve written to the local authorities that either you upgrade it or hand it to us so we can host domestic and even international cricket there. These stadiums will be 100% upgraded but in the next five months, the target we have, we hope to complete that.”The New York stadium [for the T20 World Cup] was completed in the last 10-15 days. We will be ready well before that timeline.”

Jemimah Rodrigues will be her deputy, as Capitals’ campaign kicks off on March 5 at the Brabourne Stadium

Vishal Dikshit02-Mar-2023Australia captain Meg Lanning is set to lead the Delhi Capitals franchise in the inaugural edition of Women’s Premier League (WPL) that starts on March 4 in Mumbai. Lanning has won a record four T20 World Cups as captain for Australia, including the most recent one in South Africa last month having beaten the hosts in the final.Lanning, 30, arrived in Mumbai on Thursday for the WPL. She has played 132 T20Is, scoring 3405 runs with two centuries and 15 half-centuries at an average of 36.61 and strike rate of 116.37. She has led Australia in 100 T20Is, the most by any women’s player to captain a side in the format.Jemimah Rodrigues will be the vice-captain of Capitals, who begin their WPL campaign on March 5 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium.Lanning said of her appointment: “It’s a very proud moment for me, firstly to be involved with Delhi Capitals and then to lead them. It’s about enjoying yourself, getting the best out of yourself.”WPL is a massive moment for the sport, it’s the logical next step and makes a lot of sense. Cricket in India is people’s lives and the fact that WPL is up and running, and to be involved in something like this, is amazing. It’s only going to grow in the coming years.”Lanning is the third Australia player to lead a WPL side, after Beth Mooney was named Gujarat Giants’ captain and Alyssa Healy for UP Warriorz. Mumbai Indians will be led by India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Royal Challengers by Smriti Mandhana.