All posts by n8rngtd.top

Captain says selections driven by need to have “experienced guys making good decisions under pressure” for coming World Cups

Alan Gardner29-Jul-2020England will play their first ODI on home soil since last summer’s successful World Cup campaign when they take on Ireland in a three-match series from Thursday, with captain Eoin Morgan hailing the “unbelievably talented” group of players at his disposal.Despite six members of the World Cup final XI being unavailable while on Test duty (plus the absence of the discarded Liam Plunkett), Morgan said that selecting the first white-ball squad of the reshaped English summer was “particularly difficult”, with a number of young batsmen pushing for inclusion during the intra-squad encounters.Players such as Phil Salt, who scored a 58-ball hundred for England Lions against Ireland on Sunday, and Sam Hain, who averages 59.78 in List A cricket, were left on the sidelines, as England chose to give further opportunities to a clutch of candidates who were in and around the World Cup group last year, such as James Vince, Joe Denly and Sam Billings.ALSO READ: Topley wins recall, Billings and Willey return to face IrelandMorgan said that England’s depth in white-ball cricket was “definitely” greater than at any previous time during his involvement.”Being able to see more and more of the Lions players or the guys outside of the Lions over the last couple of weeks has been exceptional,” he said. “There is such a big pool of players who are unbelievably talented. Yes we don’t know whether they will succeed in international cricket but you are comfortable selecting them in the squad for if you need them at any stage.”Selection was particularly difficult. Over the last four-and-a-bit years we’ve always had tough decisions to make and I think everybody who was left out was a tough call. The standard and skill level that has been produced since guys have come together has been exceptional. It’s been way above the standard that I expected given the time we had off. Certainly [Salt and Hain] were unlucky to miss out along with others.”I think we’re blessed with a high-calibre group of top-order batters, not only in the first XI but also sitting in the wings. Even the guys that will play this series and the guys that are left out will probably need some injuries to get call-ups. It’s a product of having a consistently strong team over the last period of time, it’s allowed players to spend more time at county cricket so your highly-talented players aren’t playing a handful of county games and then automatically being called up to the national team… It’s a huge positive even though it’s bad news for the guys who have missed out.”Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow head to the nets•Getty Images

Without the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, England could have been tempted to include a few more faces from their up-and-coming generation – Tom Banton is the only batsman under the age of 29 in the squad – but Morgan gave an indication of the value he places on experience when asked about the retention of Vince and Billings.”I think a lot of the perception is that they’ve almost had their chance and their time has gone – whereas we see it as, going into the next World Cup, we need experienced guys making good decisions under pressure, that’s exactly what we’re after, and experience lends itself to that. We’ll continue to give opportunities but it’s to those guys we feel might have an impact in selection on the next two T20 World Cups or the next 50-over World Cup.”Morgan also talked about the “framework” of England’s ODI batting, and the importance of selecting players to fill certain roles. “We have an abundance of top-order batters and possibly an area that we need to fill is in the lower and middle order where we need a bit more strength in depth,” he said.To that end, England look set to continue with 34-year-old Denly at No. 5, where he made scores of 87 and 66 in South Africa back in February, and Banton a place lower down – despite his regular role as an opener for Somerset – with Morgan encouraging both to stake claims for further involvement.”Joe played really well in South Africa, a long time ago but he’s still a high-quality player,” Morgan said. “Creating opportunities for him is important to us. With Joe, age is not something we talk about – he’s fit and agile as anybody. It’s just his desire and hunger to play and succeed. I think the opportunities that both of those guys might get will determine how they long they might go or what direction we go in.”While the greater part of England’s white-ball focus has recently been on T20, the postponement of this year’s World Cup allows for some breathing space, and perhaps a celebration of the format that Morgan and his team finally cracked in 2019. As World Cup holders, Morgan admitted “it creates a level of expectation everywhere we go” – particularly against an opposition like Ireland, hungry to take advantage of their limited opportunities on the biggest stage.Tom Banton plays a cut shot•Getty Images

“That sits well with some of our guys but for a lot of our guys, they haven’t experienced that, so it’s important to recognise what is expected of us moving forward,” Morgan said. “Because we want to win more trophies.”Following the ECB’s successful implementation of bio-security protocols to enable the Test series against West Indies to go ahead, Morgan said the one-day team were happy to be back playing, even behind closed doors, and thanked Ireland for bringing forward their tour amid uncertainty about whether planned series against Australia will go ahead.”I think given the context of everything that’s gone on over the last five months or so, we are extremely happy to be playing,” he said. “Things are moving quite quickly outside of the bubble, I know Middlesex and Surrey over the weekend did have spectators and things like that, so potentially down the line that might progress. But given the context and the serious nature of the virus, we’re just delighted both to be back playing but also to have cricket back on TV. I think there’s a huge and monumental effort gone into everything to make it happen so we’re extremely grateful for that and also grateful for Ireland coming over.”

Allrounder Kainat Imtiaz was recalled in the touring party of 17 for the three ODIs and T20Is each

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2020Pakistan have named Javeria Khan as the stand-in captain for the South Africa tour next month after regular captain Bismah Maroof pulled out for “family reasons”. A 17-women squad was announced for the three ODIs and as many T20Is, as Pakistan prepare for the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in July 2021 for the main event in early 2022 in New Zealand.Twenty-eight-year-old allrounder Kainat Imtiaz, who has been in an out of the team since 2010, was recalled after an impressive show in the domestic circuit. She averaged 111 from four games with a half-century and also picked up three wickets with her medium pace. Iram Javed, who was part of the squad for the T20 World Cup earlier this year, was dropped as the selectors recalled Ayesha Zafar, Kainat, Nahida Khan and Nashra Sandhu.As many as 27 players had been training for the tour in a biosecure bubble in Karachi in the lead up to the tour. The upcoming series will be Pakistan Women’s first after a gap of 10 months.The selections were broadly based on the performances in the recent National Triangular T20 Women’s Championship, played from November 22 to December 1 in Rawalpindi, and also took into account the form and fitness of the players in the recent camp. Nahida, 34, finished the Women’s Cricket Championship as the leading run-scorer with 154 runs at an average of 51, and Zafar was the fourth-best batter with a tally of 111. Muneeba Ali (with two hundreds and a fifty) and Omaima Sohail (one hundred) were retained in the squad because of their current form.”We have seen significant improvement over the last three months in the intent and mindset of the players and the team is shaping up well for the upcoming series,” chief selector Urooj Mumtaz said. “The squad is well balanced and possesses a good blend of youth and experience for what promises to be an exciting tour.”Javeria Khan is an experienced campaigner and has the desired understanding of the game which is necessary to lead the national women’s team. She has undertaken this responsibility in the past and I am certain she will rise to the occasion and inspire the players. Our last tour to South Africa in 2018 produced high-quality cricket and we are looking forward to yet another competitive tour, which will be instrumental for the new head coach David Hemp as well as in our preparations for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers.”The selected squad will continue to stay in Karachi and depart for Durban on 11 January. They will start training and play intra-squad matches from January 13 before the ODIs begin on January 20, followed by the T20Is, with the tour finishing on February 3.Squad for ODIs and T20Is: Javeria Khan (capt), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Syeda Aroob Shah

Jack Clayton stood firm but the rest of the Queensland batting fell away at the MCG

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2023Will Sutherland’s appointment as Victoria captain may have raised eyebrows in some circles but the 23-year-old allrounder has sailed through his first test as skipper with flying colours.Victoria romped to a massive 164-run win over Queensland at the MCG on Sunday to kick-start a flagging Sheffield Shield campaign and displace their opponents in second spot on the standings.Requiring 350 to win, Queensland rarely threatened and after reaching 2 for 94 crumbled to be all out for 185 just prior to tea on day four.Veteran spinner Jon Holland impressed with 3 for 24 from 17 overs, while Fergus O’Neill picked up 2 for 28 among six different wicket-takers for the hosts. Holland’s third wicket was that of fellow left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann who had just been confirmed as being added to Australia’s Test squad. He had earlier removed Queensland captain Jimmy Peirson when he shouldered arms and had his off stump hit.Sutherland was appointed ahead of the more experienced Marcus Harris, with the opener contributing a match-winning 100 on day one. He returned match figures of 5 for 91 and chipped in with a handy 26 just as Queensland sought to fight back late on day one.”To get a win in my first game as captain, I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Sutherland said. “I have certainly loved the captaincy side of things, loved being involved in things all the time, trying to lead the boys and set the example, and they came along with me beautifully.”Having resumed at 2 for 65, Queensland retained their hopes until opener Bryce Street’s dismissal for 21 – carving an out-of-character drive to backward point off Matt Short – saw the visitors lose 4 for 30 before the lunch break.Middle-order batter Jack Clayton was the only other Queenslander to dig in but he was adjudged lbw to Holland for 66 to signal the beginning of the end.The one-sided winning margin was all the more noteworthy given Victoria’s many absentees.Regular skipper Peter Handscomb, as well as Scott Boland and Todd Murphy, are in India on Test duties, while Victoria were also without a host of first-choice batters including Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell and Will Pucovski.”So many young boys are chipping in for us and making contributions,” said Sutherland. “This is going to be the team that will be carrying us forward for the next two or three years. Hopefully we can now snowball a bit, build some momentum and win a couple more.”It was a modest display with ball, and especially bat, from a Queensland side who could have put edged closer to a Shield final berth with a win.”There are a couple of things we need to work on coming out of Big Bash to get our season back on track,” Kuhnemann said.

Businessman who helped saved club from insolvency will hand over after 23 years at helm

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2023Rod Bransgrove, the man who saved Hampshire cricket, has announced he will step down as the county’s chairman at the end of the season after 23 years.Bransgrove, 72, rescued Hampshire from insolvency in 2000, completed the club’s move from its 116-year home at Northlands Road to the Ageas Bowl and has overseen a successful era on the south coast. The £15 million he has spent on the county is more than any other individual has invested in the game throughout the history of English cricket.Bransgrove, who owns over 60% of the shares of the club, will be replaced by Nick Pike. Pike has been deputy chairman since 2021, having been an original investor in Rose Bowl plc in 2001 and was managing director of Hampshire Cricket before acting as non-executive director and vice-president.Bransgrove made the announcement to members ahead of the LV=Insurance County Championship fixture with Essex in the atrium of the pavilion which bears his name.”I will be standing down as chairman of Hampshire Cricket at the end of the year,” he said. “There are many reasons for this but for one I am getting older. Also when we started this journey 23 years ago I promised you four things.”Firstly, that we would save Hampshire cricket from insolvency and the fact we are all here is proof of that. Secondly, that we would create a team that competes with the very best in all competitions, and we are now one of the teams nobody wants to play.”The third important point was that we would create a stadium capable of housing the very best international and Test match cricket and the recent announcement is the final validation of that very long and sometimes very difficult journey.”And the other was to create a business all around Hampshire cricket to make sure that the county is never again threatened with insolvency. We are a long way to doing that and the business around the site is becoming extremely valuable.”The announcement coincides with the launch of Ivo Tennant’s biography .As part of the foreword for the book, England legend Ian Botham wrote: “If you look around the county clubs in England there is one man who stands out. He did not play the game professionally but he has supported it through his own hard work, as a businessman and as a cricket lover who has both rescued Hampshire and developed an outstanding international venue on the south coast.”[Without Rod] there would be no Rose Bowl, no international matches on the south coast and Hampshire County Cricket Club would have been homeless and destitute.”Bransgrove’s decision to step down comes after realising his ambition to host an Ashes Test match, with the ground scheduled to host a match in the 2027 series. It will be the eighth Test match to be held on the ground – with the other matches including three behind closed doors during the Covid pandemic and the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in 2021.The Ageas Bowl – which is set to receive a new title sponsor at the end of this season – will also host India in 2029, a yet-to-be-decided Test in 2030, and a Women’s Ashes Test in 2031, along with regular white-ball matches in the next eight years.Off-the-field Bransgrove has overseen the building and development of the Ageas Bowl – which now includes the Hilton hotel and Boundary Lakes Golf Course, with plans for more additions currently under consideration with Eastleigh Borough Council.Having turned the county from a members club to the first county cricket PLC on his arrival, Bransgrove has considered selling the club in recent years – and turned down a substantial offer earlier this year.Bransgrove said in : “A very successful businessman approached us with an offer to take over all the company’s debt and pay some tens of millions in cash to acquire the whole business but the attraction was not the money going into my pocket. The offer was based on the premise that he would immediately inject a further £50m after the purchase in order to move Hampshire forward.”The club is currently valued at over £100m, and carries around £60m in debt.The Ageas Bowl hosted the first T20 match in 2003 and Hampshire has been synonymous with the format, with a record ten visits to Vitality Blast Finals Days which have resulted in three trophies.Bransgrove’s reign has also seen four other white-ball triumphs and a Division Two title in the County Championship, albeit without ending a 50-year wait for a Championship despite plenty of near-misses. Before Bransgrove arrived, Hampshire had only managed eight trophies in their previous 137-years.He also put his weight behind bringing women’s cricket to the Ageas Bowl and helped turn Southern Vipers into the most successful side in the country. The team has won a Kia Super League, two Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophies, and two Charlotte Edwards Cups in their eight-year existence.Bransgrove added: “Thank you for your amazing support over the 23 years. It has been astonishing as cricket has been through so much change in that time and nowhere more than at the Ageas Bowl.”

PNG gave West Indies a near-scare in their opening game and will hope to go one better against a demoralised New Zealand side

Sruthi Ravindranath16-Jun-20242:12

Time for NZ to give Ish Sodhi a go?

Match details

New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea
June 17, Tarouba, 10.30am local time

Big picture: New Zealand look to end with a bang

Is it one last time for New Zealand’s golden generation in T20Is? They only have three players under 30 in their side. None of their senior batters have come to the fore in the tournament so far. Trent Boult, well, has been Trent Boult-ing, but he’s confirmed this will be his last T20 World Cup.Though Kane Williamson believes it may not be the end of the road yet for many seniors, New Zealand bowing out of the tournament early will make them rethink the future.Related

• New Zealand's decade of excellence unravels in a hurry

• Spotlight on NZ transition after Boult confirms this will be his last T20 World Cup

• 'He timed it beautifully and got his match-up' – Williamson and Powell laud Rutherford

They did come together to show their prowess against Uganda in the last game, rolling them over for 40. Though all of their bowlers made a mark, their batting unit, one of their biggest letdowns this tournament, did not get much time in the middle. The win also came a bit too late, their fate already sealed: they will not be heading to the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup for the first time since 2014.Papua New Guinea, meanwhile, will be exiting with different emotions. They gave co-hosts West Indies a near-scare in the first game. Their spinners bowled superbly in that game. Their fast-bowling unit has been impressive. This will be the first time these teams come up against each other. Can PNG’s bowlers challenge New Zealand’s demoralised batting unit?Alei Nao has been a bright spot for Papua New Guinea•ICC via Getty Images

Form guide

New Zealand WLLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
PNG LLLLW

In the spotlight: Glenn Phillips and Alei Nao

No New Zealand player is among the top 40 run-scorers at this year’s T20 World Cup. At No. 43 is Glenn Phillips with 58 runs in two innings. He top scored with a run-a-ball 18 against the unplayable Afghanistan bowling unit in the first game and followed it up with 40 against West Indies. He came in at No. 6 and counterattacked, hitting three fours and two sixes in his 33-ball stay, after yet another top-order collapse but his knock went in vain. He’s been one of the positives in New Zealand’s dull tournament.Alei Nao has been the pick of the bowlers for PNG. The 30-year old seamer struck with his very first delivery at this T20 World Cup, removing West Indies’ Johnson Charles for a duck in Providence. He has been excellent for PNG with the new ball and has taken a wicket in the powerplay in all three games. Nao has taken four wickets at an economy of 5.10 so far.

Team news: No major changes

PNG brought in left-arm quick Semo Kamea for Charles Amini in the last game against Afghanistan. Both teams are likely to go with the same playing XI barring any injury concerns.New Zealand possible XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Devon Conway (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent BoultIt’s been a disappointing T20 World Cup for Kane Williamson and New Zealand•ICC/Getty Images

Papua New Guinea possible XI: 1 Assad Vala (capt), 2 Tony Ura, 3 Sese Bau, 4 Lega Siaka, 5 Hiri Hiri, 6 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 7 Chad Soper, 8 Norman Vanua, 9 Alei Nao, 10 John Kariko, 11 Semo Kamea

Pitch and conditions: Batters beware

The pitches at the Brian Lara Stadium have not been too conducive to batting. The fast bowlers have had a bit of help with the new ball, while the spinners have found some turn. It is expected to be partly cloudy in the morning, and thunderstorms can be expected in spots throughout the day.

Stats that matter: NZ’s batting woes

• New Zealand have the best economy rate of 4.22 in the powerplay in the T20 World Cup 2024
• PNG have scored at a run rate of 5.22 this tournament, the third-lowest behind Uganda and Sri Lanka
• New Zealand have the second-lowest batting average (12.60) among Full Member nations at this T20 World Cup behind Ireland

Both teams are still in the race for the semi-finals, but there is also a Champions Trophy place at stake

Ashish Pant02-Nov-20235:10

Hayden: ‘Would like to see Rashid Khan bowl early against Netherlands’

Big picture: Semi-finals and Champions Trophy to play for

England – check, Pakistan – check, Sri Lanka – check, Netherlands – next?Coming into this tournament, Afghanistan had just one win – in 2015 – to show for their previous two World Cup campaigns. Now, they have beaten three previous World Cup winners in this edition alone, and are gunning for two crucial points against Netherlands to turn up the heat in the race for the semi-finals.Lucknow was Afghanistan’s adopted home turf back in 2019, when they faced West Indies in one Test, three T20Is and three ODIs. While they did not have much success in the ODIs back then, the familiarity with the venue could give them an edge in this contest.Related

• Stats – Netherlands' record-breaking rearguard blitz

• Crafty Azmatullah Omarzai on his way to be Afghanistan's own Hardik Pandya

• Farooqi hits his straps to help keep Sri Lanka under wraps

• Netherlands hope to keep 'intensity, dedication and spirit' intact in race for Champions Trophy spot

Afghanistan have solved some serious problems during their campaign. They were overly reliant on their top order for runs but the middle order has come to life with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai finding form. Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi is coming off a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, having shown there’s more to Afghanistan’s attack than just spin.And they have been clinical – not mercurial – in their victories. After dismantling England comfortably during their defence in Delhi, they chased down targets against Pakistan and Sri Lanka with a calmness that showed they belonged at the World Cup. Another victory will take Afghanistan to eight points, level with Australia and New Zealand who are in third and fourth place.Afghanistan, however, are up against a team that also has much to play for. Netherlands are still in the running for the semi-finals, though their chances are slim, but they have a real shot at qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy. To do that, they need to finish in the top eight at this World Cup, and taking two points off Afghanistan will open a four-point lead over the two teams currently below them (Bangladesh and England).Having taken down South Africa earlier in the tournament, Netherlands come into Friday’s fixture fresh off a win against Bangladesh. Their bowling – apart from the thumping against Australia – has been consistent but their batting has lacked firepower. Netherlands have scored 250-plus just once in this high-scoring tournament and have needed their middle and lower order to come to their rescue several times.At a venue where run-scoring hasn’t been as easy, Netherlands will need to find a way to succeed against an Afghanistan attack that is much more than the exceptional Rashid Khan.

Form guide

Afghanistan: LWLWW (last five ODIs, most recent first)
Netherlands: LWLLW

In the spotlight: Azmatullah Omarzai and Aryan Dutt

Azmatullah Omarzai had a mere 35 runs in four ODI innings at 11.66 at the end of 2022. The allrounder has turned a corner in 2023: 305 runs in 12 ODIs with three fifties and an average of 43.57. He is currently Afghanistan’s fifth highest run-scorer in the tournament with 203 runs at 50.75. He has also chipped in with his medium pace, taking five wickets at 39.80. Omarzai’s variations in the middle overs could be key.Offspinner Aryan Dutt has bowled the first over for Netherlands in every game so far this tournament and has been economical in the powerplay. He has sent down 23 overs in the powerplay, taking three wickets and conceding just 4.56 per over. No other bowler has bowled more maidens than Dutt’s seven and he will be coming into the game high on confidence after taking 1 for 26 in ten overs against Bangladesh.

Team news

Ikram Alikhil hurt his finger against Sri Lanka but Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott confirmed the wicketkeeper-batter was available for selection. If Lucknow is likely to aid spin, Afghanistan could look to bring in Noor Ahmad for Naveen-ul-Haq. They played four spinners against Pakistan in Chennai and Noor took 3 for 49 in that match.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq/Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiNetherlands are unlikely to make changes to the XI that beat Bangladesh.Netherlands (possible): 1 Max O’Dowd, 2 Vikramjit Singh, 3 Wesley Barresi, 4 Colin Ackermann, 5 Scott Edwards (capt & wk), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Shariz Ahmad, 10 Aryan Dutt, 11 Paul van Meekeren

Pitch and conditions: Another slow burner?

The pitch for the game is a mixture of black and red soil and could help the spinners. Before the square was re-laid earlier this year, the Ekana Stadium wasn’t known for high scores. Only once in 16 ODI innings has a team scored 300-plus here – by South Africa earlier in the competition.

Stats and trivia: Mujeeb on the cusp of a hundred

• Mujeeb Ur Rahman is one away from 100 ODI wickets. If he gets there on Friday, he will be the fourth Afghanistan bowler to reach the landmark.
• Vikramjit Singh is 12 short of 1000 runs in ODIs.
• Rahmat Shah needs 95 to become the fourth Afghanistan batter to reach 4000 runs in international cricket.
• Scott Edwards has played three ODIs against Afghanistan and scored a fifty each time.

Quotes

“We are here at a World Cup, we’re not playing the Champions Trophy. The focus is the semi-final for us. We’re not interested in what’s happening in two years’ time. We’ve got a game to win tomorrow.”
“We’re not going to make the semis by just talking about it. We have to play good cricket. How well we start tomorrow is going to be crucial and how well we finish.”

Opportunity for meaningful practice for tourists at high-scoring venue

Matt Roller11-Jul-2022South Africa marked the start of their England tour by training in the Taunton sunshine on Monday afternoon, ahead of the first of two 50-over warm-up games against England Lions. They will play three ODIs, five T20Is (including two against Ireland in Bristol) and three Tests over the next two months, a return to old-school touring after two years of short series being squeezed into schedules following the Covid pandemic.That means that they will have the opportunity to acclimatise rather than heading straight into a series, beginning their trip at a venue that played host to the highest English domestic T20 total of all-time on Saturday night. Rilee Rossouw, who starred as Somerset piled on 265 for 5 against Derbyshire, will only come into the mix for the T20I leg of the tour but South Africa’s batters will be enticed by the combination of short boundaries and a flat, hard pitch.The second tour match, at New Road in Worcester on Thursday, will carry List A status but despite the ECB’s efforts, Tuesday’s will not; South Africa were keen to give as many of members of their 17-man squad a chance as possible. “We can try and get all of our batters to bat and all of our bowlers to bowl,” Mark Boucher, their head coach said, returning to the venue where he suffered a career-ending eye injury a decade ago.”Hopefully, we get the proper headache of having everyone in the runs. The second game will be a proper game of cricket, classed as a List A game. It’s going to be a good opportunity for us in the next couple of days to get everyone ready and also see where each individual is in these conditions.”Keshav Maharaj will stand in as captain for the 50-over leg of the tour, with Temba Bavuma missing through injury. “He’s a massive loss for us,” Boucher said, “but we have our back-up plans as well.”The England series is not part of the ODI Super League, in which South Africa have struggled, leaving them facing the possibility of having to play in next year’s qualifiers in order to reach the World Cup in India. “There’s maybe been a bit of a lack of form and continuity in certain series as well, where we’ve lost players to IPL,” Boucher added. “Our plans are good. If we can just settle on that then the results will naturally come.”Related

• Injured Bavuma ruled out; Maharaj and Miller to lead white-ball teams in England

• Will Smeed loves living in the 90s as Somerset defeat Surrey

• Rehan Ahmed, 17, picked in England Lions squad for South Africa fixtures

• Boucher on Bazball: 'It's probably the way that red-ball cricket is going'

The ECB have picked a strong Lions squad for this series, with the usual blend of “next-best” and “future-best” players, according to Mo Bobat, England’s performance director. “We cross over with the England ODIs so we had to be really mindful of which players we picked and also think about the county game,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “You could easily decimate the Championship.”The Lions have hardly played since the start of the pandemic, with the demands of England’s schedule often meaning they have required two enlarged squads simultaneously. When they did, in Australia last winter, the tour was badly affected by quarantine demands and inclement weather.They are due to play South Africa in a red-ball game on August 9 and will tour Sri Lanka this winter if the political situation allows, but this week effectively marks the full return of the programme after what Bobat described as a “pretty difficult” couple of years.”It’s always quite tricky playing Lions cricket in the summer anyway because of the congested schedule, so getting to a point where we could put this game on and put a decent side out felt like quite an important thing. It’s nice for us to feel like we’re getting Lions cricket going again. It’s a good opportunity this week for these guys to play some 50-over cricket against international opposition.”Keshav Maharaj (right) will captain South Africa in the absence of Temba Bavuma•AFP/Getty Images

Tom Abell, the Somerset captain, will lead the side on his home ground and expects the Lions to replicate England’s attacking style. “Getting to captain is a huge privilege and it’s extra special being here at Taunton,” Abell told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve got a really good group. Hopefully we can come together and put South Africa under a bit of pressure.”A lot of us haven’t really experienced playing at this level against international opposition so the next couple of games are going to be amazing for us. What we want is for the group to feel free and be able to express themselves. We’ve all been playing T20 cricket and everyone’s approach is pretty positive so it’ll be about adapting to the 50-over format, but still trying to maintain that mindset: we want to have that positive, attacking intent at all times.”There are three capped players in the 14-man squad – Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and David Payne – and a mix of recent Under-19 graduates like Rehan Ahmed and Will Smeed, and older players with strong recent form such as Benny Howell and Jake Lintott. Not that many of them have played much 50-over cricket of late, since the Royal London Cup now clashes with the Hundred.”I haven’t played a 50-over game for God knows how long – a club game, probably,” Smeed, who could make his List A debut on Thursday, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not something that’s been on my radar but it was a lovely call to get. They’ve got a lot of tall, quick bowlers which will be fun. It’ll give me a good reflection as to where my game is at against that sort of bowler – you don’t get loads of them in the Blast so this should be a good challenge.”England Lions squad: Tom Abell (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton (wk), Sam Cook, Ben Duckett, Stephen Eskinazi, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Benny Howell, Jake Lintott, David Payne, George Scrimshaw, Will SmeedSouth Africa ODI squad: Keshav Maharaj (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne

Central Zone were 68 for 6 chasing 218 before Hom and Jaker took the game away from South Zone

Mohammad Isam06-Jan-2022A day after Bangladesh’s incredible win over New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, the domestic first-class final, too, culminated in a longer-version spectacle in Dhaka. Central Zone lifted their third BCL title, beating favourites South Zone by four wickets in a tense final day.With his second hundred in the match, veteran Shuvagata Hom took Central Zone to the winning 218-run target after the side slipped to 68 for 6. Shuvagata, who was unbeaten on 114 in the fourth innings, added 153 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket with Jaker Ali, who struck the winning runs, making 41 in 124 balls.It was the perfect finish to a seesaw game. Batting first, South Zone got off to a superb start when openers Anamul Haque and Pinak Ghosh put on 137. Both struck fifties before Zakir Hasan and Farhad Reza added 119 for the sixth wicket.Mohammad Mithun struck his maiden first-class double ton in the BCL final•Walton

Left-hander Zakir made an unbeaten 107 off 161 balls, his eleventh first-class century. Farhad struck a quick-fire 67-ball 71 with three sixes and nine fours. Left-arm spinner Hasan Murad took 5 for 101.Central Zone’s reply got off to a terrible start when Farhad’s four-wicket burst sunk them to 16 for 4 in the eighth over. But there was an incredible turnaround too. Shuvagata and Mohammad Mithun added 283 runs for the fifth wicket. Mithun struck his maiden double-hundred. He struck 27 fours and three sixes in his 306-ball 206. Shuvagata made 116.Jaker also struck 53, adding 75 for the sixth wicket with Mithun. Farhad didn’t take any more wickets after his initial four strikes, while Kamrul Islam Rabbi also took four wickets.Central Zone took advantage of the 51-run lead, reducing South Zone to 119 for 7 on the fourth afternoon. Rishad Ahmed, from No. 9, though, then struck ten fours and four sixes but he missed out on a maiden first-class hundred when he fell on 99.But his knock kept South Zone in the game. He notched up partnerships of 44 for the eighth wicket, 61 for the ninth wicket and another 44 for the tenth wicket.Central Zone slipped to 26 for 3 in the final hour of the fourth day, and had an even worse fifth morning when they lost Soumya Sarkar, Taibur Rahman and Salman Hossain.But Shuvagata and Jaker changed the course of the final with their big partnership, without taking too many risks as they had enough time through the rest of the day.

The opener will head to India with Australia A next month before a crucial month of Sheffield Shield cricket that will determine his short-term Test prospects

Andrew McGlashan19-Aug-20250:27

Konstas gone for duck as tough Caribbean tour ends

Sam Konstas is fully aware he faces a “massive” run of Sheffield Shield matches early in the season if he is to retain his Test place for the start of the Ashes but is focused on shutting out much of the talk and trusting his inner circle.Konstas endured a torrid series against West Indies where he made 50 runs in six innings albeit in challenging conditions where the top orders of both teams found life tough. They were his first Tests since bursting into the side against India last season, but he is now back in the pack as far as selection goes to face England in November.He has resumed training with New South Wales having taken a break after the tour and will return to playing on the four-day leg of the Australia A tour of India next month. That trip has a longer lens from the selectors – Australia have a five-Test tour in early 2027 – so while runs won’t hurt Konstas’ shorter-term ambitions, of most relevance will be what he’s able to do in the early rounds of the Shield in October.Related

• Green set to bowl in Shield cricket, will 'wait and see' if he's at No. 3 in the Ashes

• Konstas, Peake, McSweeney named in Australia A squad for India tour

• Bailey declares Weatherald 'in the mix' for Ashes

• Webster happy to scrap for Ashes spot with Green's return to bowling on track

“It’s massive, it’s going to be a big four games and I expect that,” Konstas said on the day a new four-year deal with Sydney Thunder in the BBL was announced that will keep him at the club until 2029. “But for me, [it’s about] just being in the present moment, don’t get too fixated about the outcome and just be very process-driven in those games. Not getting too fazed about what other people say, and obviously have that inner circle that I trust.”For me it’s just trying to best prepare, and then obviously trusting what I think is right in that current moment,” Konstas added. “It was my first time playing in the West Indies, and first time facing those bowlers. They bowled well and hopefully I can build from that experience.”Adopting the right mindset, training hard, not leaving any regrets. For me, that’s the big thing, just the way I prepare, and especially with the people that I trust, having honest conversations with them when necessary and leaving it to that.”Jack Edwards, the New South Wales captain who will also be part of the Australia A tour, has been training alongside Konstas in recent weeks”He definitely doesn’t hold onto it [the tour] for too long,” Edwards told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s great to have him around. He’s working extremely hard at his game as he always does, hitting a mountain of balls…such a young man, he’s definitely going to have a long career for Australia.”Konstas spoke of leaning on Steven Smith and David Warner, his captain at Thunder, for advice. “I’m very lucky to be working with the best in the world,” he said.Picked for Australia after just 11 first-class matches, it’s been acknowledged by the coaching staff that Konstas has been doing a lot of his developing at the top level although there is a belief in the set-up that the setbacks in West Indies won’t do long-term harm.”I’m still learning about my game and finding what works in different conditions,” he said. “Understanding the situations, when to soak up pressure [and] when to attack the game.”That’s where Warner has been a valuable sounding board for him. “I just like his mindset, to be honest,” Konstas said. “He takes the game on and he’s very aggressive. He’s always trying to dictate terms in the way he likes to.”Still only 19 – he turns 20 early in October – Konstas is trying to keep a level head. “As an athlete, you’re going to go through failures and successes, but I tell you, build from those failures and become a better person and cricketer.”

Forty players listed at the maximum base price of INR 2 crore; Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi the only Indians among them

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-20258:03

Will KKR go all-out to get Cameron Green in?

A total of 359 players are set to feature in the IPL 2026 mini-auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. Of these, 40 players have listed themselves for the maximum base price of INR 2 crore, with Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi the only Indians among them.Cameron Green, who is tipped to become the most expensive buy, has listed himself as a batter and will appear in the first set. Devon Conway, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller and Prithvi Shaw are the others in that set.Quinton de Kock, Dunith Wellalage, and George Linde, who were not part of the longlist, have been included in the final list.Related

• IPL 2026 auction – who will be at the heart of the big bidding wars?

• Classy de Kock shows shades of old at just the right time

• IPL 2026: How the squads stack up ahead of the auction

• IPL auction: Green could be biggest buy, but can't cross INR 18 crore mark

Of the 359 players shortlisted, 244 are Indian and 115 from overseas. The auction will commence with a full round of capped players. The order will be batters, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners, followed by a full round of uncapped players. The accelerated process will begin after player No. 70 and will cover the rest of the players. The franchises will then be asked to submit the names of the unsold players from the overall list for further accelerated rounds.A total of 77 slots are available to be filled at the auction, including 31 for overseas players. Kolkata Knight Riders have the biggest purse of INR 64.30 crore and also have 13 slots left to fill, including six overseas slots. Chennai Super Kings are the next with INR 43.4 crores. They have nine slots vacant.