Lancashire have been in the running for three competitions this season and won nothing

David Hopps17-Sep-2022Lancashire have been in the running for three competitions this season and have won nothing. Defeat in the Royal London Cup final followed an agonising near-miss in the T20 Blast final that Hampshire famously won twice, and a Championship challenge that was finally extinguished by a six-point penalty for disciplinary reasons.For Keaton Jennings, Lancashire’s captain in the 50-over competition, another disappointment was hard to take, and it was testimony to his good nature and maturity that he was able to smile in the face of failure.”I suppose one positive is we gave ourselves a chance to win,” he said. “We got into two finals and in the Championship we have played some really good cricket and had we been able to force a result in a couple of games it might have been different.”It is tough to take. You can look back on every bad moment and be incredibly hard on yourself but the fact is the guys have played some really good cricket.”Jennings had been one of the culprits in a surprisingly error-ridden Lancashire fielding display – Kent’s outfielding comfortably outdid them – and then was dismissed for 72 when an untroubled innings was promising to set up victory.”Our catching was a factor,” he said. “Our fielding throughout the competition has been a stand-out for me. I don’t want to say exceptional, but the guys have thrown their bodies around and caught some seriously good catches.”He must be in the running for the reserve opener’s position on England’s Test tour of Pakistan, but it was not the time for him to wonder about it.”I’m not particularly wondering right now,” he said. “As far as England selection is concerned it’s completely out of my hands. This defeat is hard to take and I don’t want to look any further.”Kent’s player of the match as they took their first List A title for 44 years, ending a run of eight consecutive defeats in final since then, was Joey Evison, who collected his award while chants rang around the ground for the allrounder he is earmarked to replace – Darren Stevens, 26 years his senior, and stricken by a groin injury which ended his spell after eight oversEvison struck 97 on his return to Trent Bridge – he was loaned out to Kent for this season ahead of a three-year deal – and he also bowled a decisive penultimate over with Lancashire 22 short and the last pair at the crease. He looked nerveless, but revealed that he was troubled by cramp.”I was cramping up a bit so I was a bit worried about that,” he said. “I obviously didn’t drink enough. I was stretching quite a lot. It could have gone the other way. Liam Hurt can be quite dangerous in those situations, but the final ball came out nicely.”If you’d have told me at the start of the day I would get 97, as well as two wickets and a catch, and I would have bitten your hand off.”I think we outfielded Lancashire. They dropped a few catches and we managed to take them.”If Stevens could be expected to limp happily around the bar throughout the evening, his season, his Kent career, his entire career perhaps now at an end, Kent’s celebrations would have to be tempered. They are still not clear of potential relegation and face a demanding penultimate match against Championship-chasing Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday.

“I understand the need to try and play in slightly inclement weather to try and get a result. But we overstepped that mark in this game.”

Danyal Rasool24-Oct-20222:47

Houghton: ‘I don’t think we should have bowled even one ball’

Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton was fiercely critical of the decision to carry on with his side’s game against South Africa even as the rain in Hobart grew heavier, saying he didn’t believe the “conditions were right to play”, and that Zimbabwe “shouldn’t have bowled a ball”.Related

• Zimbabwe looking to give as good as they get against Haris Rauf's fire

• Wounded Pakistan still 'feeling the pain and hurting', but morale remains intact

• Pakistan aim to bounce back from MCG heartbreak

• Boucher: South Africa have 'no regrets' about Zimbabwe washout

• As it happened – South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Hobart

Rain halted Monday’s game in Hobart on multiple occasions, before it was finally called off with South Africa on the verge of victory. South Africa needed a further 13 runs to win with all ten wickets in hand and 24 balls to go, but the innings hadn’t yet reached the five-over mark, the mandatory cut-off for a game to produce a result. During the chase, Zimbabwe’s bowlers and fielders complained several times about the wet outfield as the rain grew steadily heavier. Even when fast bowler Richard Ngarava slipped and had to be taken off injured, the umpires kept the players on.It was a decision that left Houghton furious. “He’s lying in the changing room with a bunch of ice strapped to his ankle,” Houghton said. “Obviously we’re not too happy about the fact he’s not in a great space for bowling at the moment. We’ll have to assess it in the next day or so.”I thought the rain had got so heavy it was ridiculous. Most of the evening or nighttime, it was misty. But it got to the stage where we could actually hear it thumping on the rooftop in the dugout. To me, that’s no longer drizzle; that’s time to get off the field. The field was wet when we started and when South Africa fielded. They were difficult conditions for both sides but it just got more and more wet as we bowled. When your keeper’s sliding trying to move down the leg side standing up to the spinners, it’s too wet. I don’t think the conditions were right to carry on playing.”Richard Ngarava had to leave the field after taking a tumble•AFP/Getty Images

ESPNcricinfo understands the entire Zimbabwe unit were unhappy at what they considered were dangerous conditions, and believed higher-profile teams wouldn’t have been put in that position. While Houghton declined to comment publicly on whether he thought the umpires would have made the same decision if the roles had been reversed, he was emphatic in his disagreement with the call.”I understand the need to try and get these games on for the public and for TV.” he said. “I understand the need to try and play in slightly inclement weather to try and get a result. But we overstepped that mark in this game. The umpires are the guys making those decisions in the middle and they seemed to think it was fit to play. I disagree with them. But there’s not much I can do off the field.”After Ngarava’s injury, Zimbabwe turned to spin rather than risk their premier pace bowlers, with Sikandar Raza bowling the third over. But when Sean Williams was handed the ball for the fourth over, Houghton revealed Williams thought enough was enough.”Craig [Ervine, Zimbabwe’s captain] and Raza had had a word with the umpires and asked “what do you constitute as rain because we’re getting quite wet here?” Eventually Sean Williams said just as he was about to start bowling he didn’t think he could bowl. It was too wet. And then they brought us off.”South Africa coach Mark Boucher, meanwhile, suggested that the situation of the game may have played a part in Zimbabwe’s reluctance to carry on. “If Zimbabwe were in our position they would have wanted to carry on playing,” he said. “We bowled with a ball that was quite wet as well. We were in a very good position. You walk away from this game thinking we were hard done by. We are not there to make the calls, that’s what officials do and officials made the call and we’ve got to live with their decisions.”The abandonment leaves South Africa and Zimbabwe with one point each, putting South Africa under early pressure in a group where, on paper, they’re expected to compete for two available semi-finals slots with India and Pakistan. On a frigid night in Hobart, there was plenty of heat from both coaches as an incensed Zimbabwe fumed at an injury to a key fast bowler while South Africa seethed at a win that, not for the first time at a World Cup, was denied to them by rain.

The visitors had a wobble in the morning but ended up comfortable winners

AAP19-Oct-2022Caleb Jewell inspired Tasmania to a seven-wicket victory in their Sheffield Shield clash with South Australia at Adelaide Oval.Tasmania started the final day at 0 for 104 in their pursuit of 235, but the loss of Tim Ward, Jake Doran and Ben McDermott during the morning session on Wednesday saw the visitors slip to 3 for 164.Jewell kept his cool to guide Tasmania over the line, with Jordan Silk there in support.Related

• Ward's determination and Siddle's late strikes lift Tasmania

• Tasmania have victory in sight despite Manenti's sparkling display

Ward fell on the sixth ball of day four when he edged Wes Agar behind. Jake Carder took an excellent diving catch while running with the flight of the ball to remove Doran, and McDermott fell a short time before lunch.Jewell dug in to ensure there would be no late wobbles, with the 25-year-old notching his century in fine style by pulling Agar for six.Veteran paceman Peter Siddle was crucial in Tasmania’s victory, returning the excellent figures of 4 for 51 and 4 for 45.Tasmania’s win marked a huge turn around from their season-opening flop, when they lost to Queensland by an innings and 172 runs.

First Test of the Australian summer kicks off in ousted coach’s backyard, creating potential for tension

Tristan Lavalette26-Nov-2022As the build-up for Australia’s opening Test of the summer threatens to be mired in bloodletting, Mitchell Starc aptly fronted the media just metres from ‘Langer’s Loft’ – once an exclusive bar for members but now an eyesore amid a redevelopment at the WACA.The symbolism was striking with Australia arriving in Perth ahead of the first Test against West Indies on November 30 amid controversy after former coach Justin Langer’s candid interview over his ugly exit earlier in the year.Langer on the podcast attacked anonymous “cowards” who leaked against him and believed some players were not transparent over their feedback.Related

• 'It is not true' – Langer adamant no cricket rift exists

• CA hit back at Langer's claims as fallout to coach's exit erupts

• Langer lifts the lid on messy exit as Australia coach

It led to a rebuke from Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley although Langer has stated since that the players are “like my younger brothers”.There was intrigue over how Starc would handle the expected probing over the saga in the first official press conference ahead of the Optus Stadium Test. And in what might be a sign of a detente, he dead-batted the controversy, claiming he hadn’t listened to the interview.”I have a pretty good relationship with Langer,” Starc told reporters on Saturday. “We exchanged text messages post the [T20] World Cup. I’m pretty comfortable with my relationship with JL.”Starc said the team did not specifically address the issue ahead of their three-hour training session at the WACA’s nets and on the ground’s grassy main wicket.”Was mentioned that there could be some noise around it obviously being in the west and with JL having a commentary spot,” he said. We’re comfortable…spend a lot of time together as a three format group. It’s all preparation for this Test match. Not too much is going to distract us. I’m sure we’ll see [Langer] at the ground and throughout the summer.”The West Australian fans are likely to back their favourite son in the first Test match in Perth since December 2019 due to the state’s strict Covid-19 measures.”Always had great crowds in Perth,” Starc said. “There’s been a lot of talk about not having Test cricket over here for a long time. Hopefully the public can support that. Show us what Test cricket means to them.”Pat Cummins in action during a training session ahead of the Test series against West Indies•Getty Images

While the left-arm quick wasn’t focusing on his pursuit of 300 Test wickets, Starc was excited about the likelihood of a spicy drop-in pitch at Optus Stadium, which tries to replicate the WACA’s famed pace and bounce.Starc has starred in the two Tests at the 60-000-seat ground with 14 wickets against India and New Zealand at a venue he rates as the second-best in the country behind Adelaide Oval, which will host the second Test against West Indies in a day-night contest.”[Adelaide and Perth are] good contests between bat and ball,” said Starc, who has taken 287 Test wickets. “[In Perth] you’re rewarded for good shots and likewise rewarded for good bowling.”The India Test [in 2018] was a very good wicket for three days and as the Test wore on the cracks got bigger…played a lot of tricks in the fourth innings. A very good bat versus ball wicket that presented challenges for both.”Given West Indies’ well-chronicled struggles in Australia, having not won a Test since February 1997 at the WACA, there has been some belief that the home team can ease into the Test summer ahead of a mouth-watering three-match series against South Africa.Starc, however, believed West Indies should not be underestimated, pointing to their stunning home Test triumph over England in March.”Definitely not taking any teams lightly. We know what the West Indies can serve up at their best,” he said as Australia returns to Test cricket since their tour of Sri Lanka in June and July. “It’s a good chance to kick-start our summer of Test cricket and hopefully some exciting cricket will be played.”

India captain also says Gill will be given “a chance to have a fair run” in the ODI side

Hemant Brar09-Jan-20231:31

Rohit on Suryakumar’s selection in ODIs: ‘Great headache to have’

There has been a debate going around if Hardik Pandya should replace Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I captain but Rohit said he has no plans to give up T20Is as things stand.After the 2022 T20 World Cup, both Rohit and Virat Kohli missed India’s next two T20I series, away against New Zealand and at home against Sri Lanka. Rohit said it was more to manage the workload, and they might miss the upcoming home T20I series against New Zealand as well.Related

• Gill to open instead of Kishan in series opener

• Can Suryakumar crack ODIs ahead of the home World Cup?

• Bumrah to miss Sri Lanka ODIs, doubtful for Test series against Australia

• How India's contenders are shaping up ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup

“It was made clear in the past that it’s a 50-over World Cup year, and for some of the guys, it’s not possible to play all formats,” Rohit said on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka. “If you look at the schedule, the matches are back to back. So looking at some of the players’ workloads, we wanted to give them a break. And I also fall into that category.”We have only six T20Is, three [against Sri Lanka] are over and we have three against New Zealand. So we will look after those boys till we get to the IPL, and see what happens after that. But certainly, I have not decided to give up the format.”Shubman Gill remains ahead of Ishan Kishan in the pecking order, according to Rohit Sharma•BCCI

Rohit also revealed that Shubman Gill remains ahead of Ishan Kishan in the pecking order. In India’s last ODI, Kishan had scored the fastest double-hundred in the format, but in the other eight innings in his career, he has only 267 runs at an average of 33.37.Gill, on the other hand, has been India’s highest run-getter since his comeback last year, scoring 638 runs at an average of 70.88 at a strike rate of 102.57.”Both openers have done really well, but looking at how both have gone through, it’s fair we give Gill a chance to have a fair run, because he has got a lot of runs in the last few games,” Rohit said. “So has Ishan, I am not taking anything away from him. He has been wonderful for us. He got a double-hundred and I know what it takes to get a double-hundred; it’s a great achievement.

Watch on ESPN Player in the UK

WATCH the first India vs Sri Lanka ODI LIVE

“But to be honest and just to be fair to the guys who have done really well before that, we need to give those guys enough chances before we make that call.”It’s unfortunate we won’t be able to play Ishan but looking at how things have panned out for us in the last eight-nine months, and looking at how ODIs have gone for us, it’s fair to give Gill that run. He has done extremely well in that position. It’s very unfortunate for Ishan but that doesn’t rule him out. We are going to try to keep everyone in the mix and see how it pans out for us as we play more games.”For the same reason, Suryakumar Yadav, despite his sparkling T20I form, will also have to wait for a longer run in ODIs. Meanwhile, in Kishan’s absence, KL Rahul will keep wickets on Tuesday.

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.

The T20 World Cup champions were humbled in Dhaka

Mohammad Isam12-Mar-2023The optimistic Bangladesh fan would have predicted exactly the opposite of what happened in this England tour. Shakib Al Hasan’s men won the T20I series, convincingly in the second game in Dhaka, after conceding the ODI series 1-2 last week. Bangladesh are usually at their best when they play ODI cricket, but who could tell after this tour?Mehidy Hasan Miraz had a great all-round hand in this win. He first took 4-12 in his four overs, an economically effective spell that sparked England’s second collapse in the innings. He put the exclamation point in when, promoted to No 5, he knocked a couple of sixes in a 16-ball 20.Najmul Hossain Shanto ensured Bangladesh didn’t have too much of a wobble in the end, remaining unbeaten on 46 off 47 balls. Taskin Ahmed hit the winning runs with two fours in the penultimate over, as they ran off in delight.This was Bangladesh’s first bilateral T20I series against England, and having emerged winners, they ticked off another little stat. A first series victory (min of three matches played) after two-and-a-half years. It also ended England’s long run of success in this format, having won the T20 World Cup, and bilateral series against Australia and Pakistan last year.

England’s strong start slips into collapse

The last thing England wanted with limited batting options was a collapse but that’s exactly what happened to them in the middle overs. They raced to 50 for 1 in seven overs when Shakib removed Phil Salt, who continued his get-set-get-out theme on this tour. Salt struck one back at Shakib, a delivery that he should have smashed through either side of the pitch with ease, and it became the catalyst for an England collapse.Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed four wickets in his four overs•AFP/Getty Images

The impressive Hasan Mahmud broke through Jos Buttler in the next over, a turning point for the home side. Buttler made a quickfire 67 in the first game, and was expected to be a major threat. But he was undone by a yorker length delivery that swerved back into his stumps prompting Hasan to leap in delight. Hasan had given up just five runs in two overs in the death in the first game, rapidly growing in reputation as a white-ball bowler. Then it was Mehidy’s turn to shine, as Moeen Ali hit one down deep midwicket’s throat in the next over. England were 57 for 4, having lost three wickets in the space of 16 balls.

Mehidy sparks second England collapse

Sam Curran and Ben Duckett added 34 runs for the fifth wicket, before Mehidy’s triple-strike sent the visitors into free fall. Litton stumped Curran and Chris Woakes in the space of three balls. Both tricky deliveries but handled smoothly by the gloveman. As soon as England reached three-figures, Mehidy landed his maiden four-wicket haul when Chris Jordan hit one to deep midwicket. England slipped from 91 for 4 to 100 for 7 in 17 balls.The remaining three wickets fell in the last over. Duckett, the only one who looked remotely close to giving England a good finish, was caught superbly by Shanto, before Rehan Ahmed and Jofra Archer were run out off the last two balls of the innings.

Shanto calms nerves

Bangladesh didn’t have the smoothest chase. Curran removed Litton for yet another soft dismissal, caught at deep square leg, the only deep fielder on the leg-side at the time. Rony Talukdar couldn’t quite get Archer away, falling for 9 in the sixth over. Legspinner Rehan then took his first T20I wicket, when Towhid Hridoy, playing his second T20I, toe-ended the ball to Woakes at point. It was a rank half-tracker from Rehan, but he’d nonetheless take the wicket.Shanto held his own at the other end, adding 41 runs in 5.2 overs with Mehidy. But Bangladesh slipped again, this time losing Mehidy, Shakib and Afif Hossain in the space of two overs. Shakib threw away his wicket, while Archer blew away Afif’s off bail, which landed at fine leg. Shanto and Taskin scored the remaining 15 runs, with the former providing the calming influence in that final partnership.

Babar Azam was the star with the bat, hitting 64 off 39 to give Zalmi 183 to work with

Danyal Rasool16-Mar-2023Peshawar Zalmi were the side with the weakest death bowling, Islamabad United the team with the most fearsome power hitting. United were the imperious chasers, while just last week, Zalmi failed to defend 240 against already-eliminated Quetta Gladiators. The data, as Shadab Khan almost didactically likes to point out United operate by, all pointed to a United win, especially when fifties from Alex Hales and Sohaib Maqsood put their side 56 runs away with six overs and nine wickets to go. But, in defence of 183, Zalmi’s bowlers produced a monumental comeback, a masterclass of yorker bowling from Salman Irshad and Aamer Jamal battering down United’s defences. As the yellow storm surged, United were left high and dry, in the end falling comfortably short of the target by 13 runs.United had opted to chase, flying in the face of the partiality Gaddafi Stadium has shown this season to the side batting first; all six matches until tonight had been won by the defenders. But Shadab’s decision looked to be paying dividends when Hales and Maqsood struck up a magnificent second wicket partnership, accumulating 115 runs in 77 balls. Maqsood’s targeting of Azmatullah Omarzai was the catalyst after he smashed two fours and a six in the fourth over, and Alex Hales tore Wahab Riaz apart in the over that followed, plundering 18 of it. By the end of the powerplay, they had put together 67, and were on track.Zalmi continued to appear toothless as the field spread out, and the game looked set to be one of those clinics United put on every now and then. The stand was chanceless, and even Mujeeb ur Rehman found himself copping punishment by his final over as Babar Azam looked to be running out of cards to play.In fact, he, and Zalmi, had been holding out their best for last. Jamal bowled a toe-crushing yorker to burst through Maqsood’s defences. Yorker bowling suddenly became contagious, with Salman Irshad repeating the feat to see off Azam Khan cheaply, before Jamal saved his best for last, a peach that Hales had no answer to.While the toes were being threatened, Islamabad also lost their heads. A run borne of muddled thinking brought about Faheem’s run-out at the non-striker’s end and, all of a sudden, the runscoring trickled to a halt. It didn’t help that Colin Munro chose this moment to have his worst PSL game in ages, unable to find timing on anything before he fell for a limp nine-ball four.United were done by now, needing 24 off the final over. Against such quality, the very notion they might get close was fanciful, with Jamal duly closing out with United 13 runs away.The wheels for the Zalmi win, as Shadab pointed out post-match, had been set in motion in the first ten overs of the game, when Babar and Saim Ayub took the attack to United’s bowlers. The first nine balls saw six boundaries scored as Babar and Saim split them, and the 50 was brought up inside four overs. Shadab lamented the lack of intensity from his side, but with Ayub in sizzling form and Babar toying with the field, it was difficult to see what United could do. When Muhammad Waseem removed Saim, Haseebullah duly took his place, as Babar brought up a 28-ball 50 at the other end.Crucially, he didn’t slow down after the first six overs, and with Mohammad Haris at the other end, there was no respite for United. By 13 overs, Zalmi had soared to 137 before United’s bowlers finally turned things their way. Shadab was expensive, but changed momentum by trapping Babar in front, before Haris’ departure dragged Zalmi back. The final five overs saw just three boundaries scored as United established control, and a Zalmi side who had been on track for over 200 limped to 183.It didn’t look like it might be enough, and all the data suggested it wouldn’t be once Hales and Maqsood sunk their teeth into the chase. But Jamal, and Zalmi found something special in the moments that mattered, conjuring up a stirring finish to rip up all scripts and spreadsheets.

Legspinner handed chance for game-time as stand-in for injured Matt Kuhnemann

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2023Matt Parkinson will feature for Durham against Derbyshire in the LV= County Championship on Thursday, after joining the club from Lancashire on a two-week loan.Legspinner Parkinson, 26, has featured in just one of Lancashire’s three Championship fixtures to date, taking 5 for 120 in the second innings against Surrey, and comes into the Durham line-up as a replacement for the injured Australia spinner, Matt Kuhnemann.The extra game-time is opportune for Parkinson, who was surplus to international requirements this winter and was also overlooked in last month’s Hundred draft. He has featured 12 times for England across formats, including a solitary Test appearance against New Zealand at Lord’s last summer, when he was called up as a concussion substitute for Jack Leach.”Following conversations between Matt and the club’s coaching staff, it was agreed that game time in the County Championship would be preferable,” Mark Chilton, Lancashire director of cricket performance, said.”Earlier this week, an opportunity arose for Matt to join Durham on loan and the deal has been agreed between both counties and the player.”This is a great opportunity for him to get some more overs under his belt in a more competitive environment. We are looking forward to seeing how he performs and to welcoming him back into the squad.”Kuhnemann had himself replaced fellow Australian Todd Murphy at Durham, but was unable to take the field on the final day of their drawn match against Durham after suffering a back problem, and will continue to be assessed by the club’s medical staff.Parkinson’s two-week stint covers a solitary Championship game. Durham are one of ten teams in action this week, with Lancashire sitting out the round prior to their match against Nottinghamshire starting at Trent Bridge on May 4, for which he will now be ineligible.

For the first time in the tournament, DRS will be used for all matches from the Super Sixes stage onwards

Firdose Moonda23-May-2023West Indies and Sri Lanka have been drawn in separate groups for the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifier, which will take place in Zimbabwe between June 18 and July 9. The ten-team event is made up of two groups of five, with hosts Zimbabwe, West Indies, Netherlands, Nepal and USA making up Group A, and Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland, Oman and UAE in Group B.After initially only confirming the presence of third umpires to monitor run-outs, the ICC has announced that DRS will be in use from the Super Sixes phase of the competition.In the first round of the competition, each side will play the other teams in their group once. The top three from each group will then progress to the Super Sixes stage, where they will only play the sides they did not meet in the group stage. The points won in the group stage against the other qualifiers will carry over to Super Sixes. The two teams with the most points at the end of the Super Sixes stage will compete in the final, though the outcome of that contest is of no immediate consequence, since both finalists will qualify for the World Cup, to be held in India in October and November this year.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The two finalists will join hosts India, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, defending champions England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa, who qualified automatically through the World Cup Super League.The five bottom-placed teams from the Super League – West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands – along with the top-three teams from the World Cup League 2 – Nepal, Oman and Scotland – and two teams from a qualifier playoff – USA and UAE – will compete in the qualifier.Hosts Zimbabwe will take on Nepal while West Indies will face USA on the opening day at Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club respectively.The competition consists of 34 matches and will be played across four venues in Zimbabwe: Harare Sports Club and Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare, and Queen’s Sports Club and Bulawayo Athletic Club in Bulawayo.This is the second time the World Cup qualifier is being played in Zimbabwe, after they also hosted the 2018 edition of the tournament. There, with some fixtures affected by rain, Zimbabwe and Scotland narrowly missed out on qualification to the 2019 World Cup while West Indies and Afghanistan progressed to the tournament. West Indies will now make a second successive appearance at the qualifying tournament, while Sri Lanka appear for the first time. Zimbabwe, Ireland, UAE, Netherlands, Scotland and Nepal also feature for the second time.