As Hayden Walsh Jr. prepares to play for West Indies, a look at other players who have appeared for both an Associate and Full Member

Peter Della Penna16-Oct-2019Hayden Walsh Jr.’s call-up to the West Indies ODI and T20I squads is a reminder of one of the quirks in the ICC eligibility policy with regards to players representing two countries. A player who has played for a Full Member at senior level must wait three years after their last appearance before they can represent an Associate Member.However, someone who has played for an Associate Member on Monday can make an immediate switch and play for a Full Member on Tuesday if called up. Here’s a rundown of some players who have made a very quick move.Mark Chapman: Hong Kong to New ZealandThe left-arm spinning allrounder was born in Hong Kong to a mother from mainland China and a father from New Zealand. Chapman was raised in Hong Kong though he did his higher education in New Zealand. After playing as a 15-year-old for Hong Kong at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Chapman made his Hong Kong debut in January 2011 as a 16-year-old against USA at ICC WCL Division Three. His last match for Hong Kong came at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India against Scotland. Consistent performances for Auckland in New Zealand’s domestic competition finally earned him a New Zealand call-up in February 2018 for a T20I series at home against England.Dirk Nannes: Netherlands to AustraliaBorn in Victoria, Nannes made his debut for the state in February 2006 and over the next three years he played 17 first-class and 15 List A matches them. But he carved out a much more prominent niche in T20 cricket, first for Victoria in the pre-franchise era of the Big Bash League, then for Middlesex in England’s domestic T20 tournament before being taken by Delhi Daredevils in the 2009 IPL.Two weeks after the end of the 2009 IPL, Nannes utilised his Dutch passport – through his lineage – to make his Netherlands debut in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England taking the new ball in their famous win at Lord’s. He played against Pakistan four days later for his final match for Netherlands on June 9. Less than three months later, he was called up to make his Australia debut in an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh before making his Australia T20I debut two days later against England at Old Trafford.Eoin Morgan: Ireland to EnglandFrom Dublin, Morgan made his Ireland international debut in a 50-over match against Denmark five days short of his 17th birthday in September 2003. He went on to play in Ireland’s first ever World Cup appearance as a 20-year-old in 2007, then helped them qualify for the 2011 World Cup with solid performances at the 2009 Qualifier in South Africa.By that stage he had been playing for Middlesex long enough to qualify for England on residency. His final innings for Ireland was 76 off 62 balls in a six-wicket win over Netherlands in South Africa on April 15, 2009, a match which helped Ireland secure a spot in the 2011 World Cup. Just over a month later, he made his England debut in an ODI against West Indies.Ed Joyce: Ireland to EnglandAnother Dublin boy, he first played for Ireland as an 18-year-old against Scotland in 1997. But it was Joyce who blazed a trail for Morgan at Middlesex when he joined the county in 1999. He played in the final of the 2005 ICC Trophy (World Cup Qualifier) in Dublin, a tournament in which he scored two centuries and two fifties in his five innings to help Ireland qualify for their maiden World Cup, but 11 months later he was in an England shirt making an ODI debut for his new country in Belfast against his old Ireland team-mates. When his England career faded his focus returned to Ireland and in 2011 he made his first ODI appearance for them at the World Cup in India.Boyd Rankin: Ireland to EnglandThe towering Londonderry fast bowler made his Ireland debut in August 2006 against Italy and stayed in an Ireland shirt for the next six years, making his final appearance during his first stint in September 2012 against Australia in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Rankin had been on the books at Derbyshire and Warwickshire since 2006, who were grooming him for England colours. The switch finally happened nine months after that last appearance for Ireland – in his first go-around at least – when he suited up for England in an T20I against New Zealand in June 2013.Gavin Hamilton: Scotland to EnglandThe allrounder made his Scotland international debut as an 18-year-old against Ireland in a three-day match at Eglinton in June 1993. He impressed enough for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup to catch England’s attention. After playing his last World Cup match for Scotland against New Zealand on May 31, 1999, he suited up in whites for England just six months later against South Africa in a Test at the Wanderers in November 1999. He’s the only Associate player to play a Test as his debut match for a Full Member nation rather than a T20I or ODI. It wound up being his only match for England before resuming his Scotland career in February 2004.Hayden Walsh Jr.: USA to West IndiesBorn in St. Croix of the US Virgin Islands, Walsh moved to his parents’ native Antigua when he was just a few months old and is a dual national of both the USA and Antigua. After playing first-class cricket for both Leeward Islands and Barbados, he utilized his US passport to gain selection for USA in November 2018 as part of their squad for World Cricket League Division Three in Oman.Walsh made his USA T20I debut against UAE in March, then his ODI debut – which wound up being his lone ODI – against Papua New Guinea in Namibia this past April after they secured ODI status through a top-four finish at WCL Division Two. As recently as August 25, he was playing in a T20I for USA against Canada as part of the 2020 T20 World Cup qualifying process. But after a Player of the Tournament performance in the 2019 CPL for the champions Barbados Tridents, Walsh was called up into West Indies’ ODI and T20I squads for a November series against Afghanistan in India.

Jordan insists focus is on New Zealand series, not next year’s T20 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2019Chris Jordan hopes that England’s fringe players can give the selectors as many “headaches” as possible during their five-match T20I series against New Zealand.With Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali among the bowling options rested from the series, there are opportunities for young seamers Saqib Mahmood, Pat Brown and Sam Curran, as well as legspinner Matt Parkinson, to prove their worth in international colours.Anything that makes English cricket stronger makes the team stronger and it keeps everyone on top of their game,” Jordan told PA. “The more guys that we can have pushing for selection, the more headaches we can give selectors.”We’ve added a wealth of young talent to the squad which brings in some good energy. It’s an opportunity for everyone. I’ll have to continue to improve myself and stay on top of my game.”Jordan has underwhelmed in T20s this year, conceding more than nine runs per over in the Pakistan Super League, the Blast and the Caribbean Premier League, and insisted he is not getting ahead of himself.”I might be considered a senior player with my experience,” he said, “but I’m always looking to learn off any player whether they’re old or young.”I try to keep my standards as high as possible and try to give my all every day, whether it be in training or a game, so that won’t change.”It’s nice [to be in the squad] but nothing that’s taken for granted at all.”The upcoming series is the first step for England on the road towards the T20 World Cup in Australia next year, but Jordan said the tournament was far enough away that it was not in his thoughts.”Obviously the World Cup is a nice little carrot at the end of that few months but it will be one game at a time,” he said.”If you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re not actually concentrating on what’s in front of you on the day. You can’t build those good habits and that momentum.”Jordan took 1 for 22 from his three overs in England’s first warm-up game on Sunday, though found himself in an unfamiliar role. While Jordan is generally used as a death bowler, captain Eoin Morgan preferred Mahmood, Brown and Adil Rashid in the final four overs.

Club rules out appeal after concluding “it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward”

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2019Somerset have confirmed that they will not be appealing against the decision to dock them 12 points for preparing a substandard pitch for the 2019 Championship title decider against Essex.The ECB’s Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC) imposed the deduction last month after rating the Taunton surface as ‘poor’, noting its “excessive unevenness of bounce”. While Somerset accepted the charge, they disputed the suggestion that the pitch was not the best they could have produced.However, after reviewing the CDC’s full report and relevant procedures, the club has decided not to appeal because of the “heavy burden of proof” required to overturn the original verdict.”This conclusion has been reached because it is clear that, in order to overturn the decision, the club would have to demonstrate conclusively to the Panel who originally implemented the sanctions that they had come to the wrong decision,” a Somerset statement said. “Such a heavy burden of proof is extremely difficult for any appellant to discharge.”The club are very disappointed with the panel’s decision but has concluded that it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward.”We can now focus on preparing the team and the venue for the demands of the season ahead, with a specific focus on performing successfully, with a highly talented and competitive group of players and a clear focus on developing broader strategies to support this objective through our teams off the field. The club notes the strong message the panel ruling sends to all first-class counties.”Somerset finished the 2019 season second in Division One, 11 points behind Essex, after drawing a rain-affected final game – extending the club’s wait for a maiden Championship title. They will begin 2020 on minus-12 points, with a further, suspended 12-point deduction hanging over them.Somerset’s captain, Tom Abell, denied that the club had set out to produce an up-and-down pitch, but said they would have to deal with the points penalty “as best we can”.”It’s a big blow, nobody wants to start the season 12 points adrift, but we know what we’ve got to do,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The particularly disappointing thing was that we accepted the charge of it being a poor pitch, however, we were also found guilty of not producing the best wicket possible. That was disappointing because we wanted a pitch to spin, we wanted to win the game, but we felt like we were playing on the best pitch available to us.”It’s still obviously pretty raw… but the issue wasn’t the spin, apparently. The reason we got deducted points was because of the surface and the inconsistent bounce… But I can assure you there was no intent to produce a wicket that was going to go up and down. But obviously the punishment’s been handed out, and we’ve got to deal with that as best we can.”

All of Pakistan’s top four scored centuries before Naseem Shah took a three-for to put the hosts three wickets shy of victory

The Report by Danyal Rasool22-Dec-2019If yesterday was the most magnificent day of Test cricket Pakistan have enjoyed this year, it was swiftly topped by the proceedings today. All the while Abid Ali and Shan Masood piled up that record partnership and Azhar Ali got in amongst the runs on Saturday, there remained the nagging doubt the pitch was so docile it would be difficult for Pakistan’s bowlers to force a result.But in front of a Sunday crowd that was the biggest of the series, Pakistan rubber-stamped that batting dominance with control in the field, too, and despite a 100-run stand that Pakistan only breached in the final half hour, the hosts are just three wickets away from what looks a routine win. It didn’t mean there were no heroics with the bat, though; Azhar and Babar Azam brought up their hundreds, this becoming only the second instance of the top four all getting to three-figures in Test cricket. Sri Lanka were set an academic 476 to win, Pakistan having amassed an eye-watering 555 for 3.ALSO READ: Tons for top four – Pakistan’s rare feat in KarachiIf the centuries Abid and Masood compiled yesterday were essential, Azhar and Babar’s offerings were simply joyous. There was no scoreboard pressure; with Sri Lanka’s bowlers rendered toothless, the only question was when Pakistan would put the visitors back in to bat. Azhar would end a drought of over a year without a hundred, and having been recently handed the captaincy, he will know how pivotal it may prove to extending his tenure.The half-century yesterday would have both calmed Azhar’s nerves and whetted his appetite. The rut he’s been in extends, in truth, to well beyond this recent patch, with the right-hander averaging a mere 25 since Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan retired in 2017. Three consecutive boundaries off Vishwa Fernando took him to within two runs of three-figures, and when a cut off Lasith Embuldeniya finally got him over the line, the radiant glow on Azhar’s face spoke volumes of the importance he placed on the innings. He would lock Babar into a tight embrace, Pakistan’s Test captain and vice-captain celebrating a partnership that well and truly took the game out of Sri Lanka’s reach.Oshada Fernando gets down for a paddle sweep•AFP

It wasn’t so much the stand between the two as the rate the runs came that allowed Pakistan to bring their declaration forward. Babar was chiefly responsible for that, and once he’d had an lbw call overturned early on, and then trotting to a half-century, he would spare no bowler from an onslaught that saw him racing towards three-figures himself. Ninety-five came off the first 19 overs before drinks were taken, and when Azhar was stumped dancing down the crease and missing the line, Babar would only press down on the accelerator harder.Lahiru Kumara was tonked for three fours in an over, and as the lead crossed 450, it appeared Babar’s hundred was the only thing keeping Pakistan from calling the batsmen back in. It was a matter of time, and very little time at that. In the final over before lunch, he would cut one away to point and bring up his third century in four Test matches, having taken little over a session to get there.When Sri Lanka batted, the pitch suddenly didn’t look as flat anymore. After a solid first 45 minutes, the visitors lost two wickets in quick succession. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne nicked off to Mohammad Abbas – who was suddenly back to that nagging fourth-stump line from around the wicket – with Mohammad Rizwan taking an excellent catch. The next over, Mendis edged one for Babar at third slip to gobble it up. That put to bed any suggestions Pakistan would be condemned to toiling in the same way as Sri Lanka, and when Angelo Mathews nicked off to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sri Lanka were staring down the possibility of the game ending with a full day to spare.What will hearten Pakistan is the vastly improved showing from Naseem Shah, perhaps a touch unlucky to finish the first innings wicketless. His pace remained high and he would repeatedly threaten the outside edge, accurate both with the shorter delivery and the fuller one, with the batsmen regularly struggling with their footwork off the teenager.Naseem thought he had Oshada Fernando’s wicket before replays showed there was a thin inside-edge, but DRS would come to his aid the next over, when the umpire turned down a close lbw shout that was revealed to be smashing into Dinesh Chandimal’s middle stump. When Yasir Shah had Dhananjaya de Silva chop on off a straighter one, Sri Lanka had lost half their side with only 97 on the board.In what has been a disastrous two days for Sri Lanka, Oshada’s unbeaten 102 stands out as a bright spot that may continue to benefit the visitors until after this tour is done. Thrust into the opener’s slot in place of an out-of-form Lahiru Thirimanne, the makeshift opener showed glimpses he belonged there in the first innings in Rawalpindi, and confirmed it with an unbeaten hundred even as his side crumbled around him.Oshada expertly got his front foot behind the line of the ball, rarely finding himself out of position, or particularly troubled during any part of the two sessions he was at the crease. With him at the stumps, you might have suspected Pakistan were still batting if it wasn’t for what happened at the other end.Niroshan Dickwella was the only one to give him solid support, his half-century coming in an entertaining partnership where the left-hander repeatedly took on an out-of-form Yasir with the reverse sweep, coming out on top each time. Yasir didn’t quite have an answer to that shot, and such was Dickwella’s control over it, he would find the gap no matter the field placement. Yasir’s figures, very quickly, began to look expensive.It was only when, ironically enough, Dickwella tried the reverse sweep on Haris Sohail, Pakistan’s part-time left-arm spinner, that the shot let him down, with the ball clattering into his stumps. Naseem would add Dilruwan Perera to the contingent already in the pavilion. Although the players will have to come out tomorrow, make no mistake, this game, and Sri Lanka, are done and dusted.

A round-up of the Under-19 World Cup action on January 21, 2020

Sreshth Shah in Bloemfontein21-Jan-2020ScorecardIndia took under two hours to bowl Japan out for 41, the joint-second-lowest total in the history of the Under-19 World Cup, and then took just 29 balls to chase the target down and secure their second win in Group A and virtually confirm their place in the quarter-finals.Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was recently bought by Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2020, took 4 for 5, including two wickets in his first two deliveries, to wreck Japan’s middle order. Right-arm seamer Kartik Tyagi also took three wickets, of which two came with the new ball. Left-arm pacer Akash Singh collected two lower-order wickets while Vidyadhar Patil, playing his first game of the tournament, had one as the Indians were all over Japan.The highest contribution to Japan’s total – 19 – came from extras, of which 12 were wides as India’s new-ball bowlers looked for the yorker but erred in line, making wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, the birthday boy, to dive and scramble time and again.Opener Shu Noguchi and No. 8 Kento Dobell top-scored for Japan with seven apiece while five batsmen were out for ducks.Bishnoi was clearly the pick of the Indian bowlers, using his wrong’uns frequently and clean bowling two top-order Japanese batsmen in similar fashion.Tyagi and Singh initially bowled outside off, looking to get some movement, but seeing that the Japan openers weren’t to be tempted, soon changed their line to full and straight. That paid off for Tyagi, whose yorker knocked over Japan captain Marcus Thurgate. He then welcomed No. 3 Neel Date with another yorker and the batsman was trapped lbw for a duck. The total of 14 for 2 soon became 14 for 4 after Bishnoi’s introduction, and by the time Japan reached 19 they had lost seven wickets. A 13-run partnership between Dobell and No. 9 Maximillian Clements (5) took Japan past what is the lowest-ever Under-19 World Cup score [22, for Scotland against Australia in 2004], but then Singh and Tyagi returned to finish the innings for the same total that Canada managed against South Africa in 2002.Kumar Kushagra, who also played his first game of the tournament, opened the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal during the reply. Jaiswal struck five fours and the game’s only six in his 18-ball 29 while Kushagra chipped in with 13 in 11 deliveries. Shashwat Rawat, the other India player appearing in his first game, ended up playing no major part in the match.Rakibul Hasan ran through the Scotland lower order•ICC via Getty

ScorecardAnother poor batting performance meant another heavy defeat for Scotland in Group C of the Under-19 World Cup, as they lost by seven wickets to Bangladesh in Potchefstroom, the same margin as their loss to Pakistan earlier.Batting first after winning the toss, like they had against Pakistan, Scotland again got off to a wobbly start, losing four wickets for just 21 runs before fighting back a bit through Uzzair Shah and Daniel Cairns. Uzzair was the dominant partner in the 31-run stand, with Cairns contributing just 7 runs in 37 balls, but it helped Scotland hold Bangladesh off for a while.Uzzair continued till the 28th over before becoming the ninth man out for 28, but by then left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan, the Player of the Match, had started to weave his magic, tying the batsmen up in knots and running through the lower order. Jamie Cairns did hit a quick 17, but there was no stopping Hasan as he returned 4 for 20 in just five-and-a-half overs.The reply from Bangladesh wasn’t all smooth, as they lost Tanzid Hasan off the first ball of the innings, caught behind off Sean Fischer-Keogh, who went on to pick up all three wickets to fall in the chase. But there wasn’t a lot of penetration from the rest of the bowlers, and Parvez Hossain (25 in 15 balls) and Mahmudul Hasan (35* in 48) made sure Bangladesh earned full points, finishing the job in 16.4 overs.

The New Zealand batsman rues the team losing the series 5-0 to India but hopes they can do better in the ODIs

Deivarayan Muthu02-Feb-20203:38

New Zealand lose from a commanding position once again

Ross Taylor had made his T20I debut in December 2006 in Wellington along with the likes of Peter McGlashan, Chaminda Vaas, and Muttiah Muralitharan. Nearly 14 years later, in Mount Maunganui, Taylor became only the second New Zealander, after Suzie Bates, to feature in 100 T20Is. After receiving a special cap from his good mate Martin Guptill, the 35-year old marked the occasion with a half-century, studded by three successive signature hockey-swiped boundaries in a 34-run over off allrounder Shivam Dube. Some of those blows had his family, who were at the Bay Oval, up on their feet.ALSO READ: New Zealand cricket is in the best hands with Williamson – KohliHowever, Taylor himself was at the heart of a dramatic collapse – 6 for 25 – as New Zealand lost another game from a seemingly winning position. He admitted that the defeat indeed soured the landmark and looked back at how T20 cricket has evolved from being a bit hit-and-giggle to a “pretty serious competition”.”It’s still sinking in,” Taylor said at the post-match press conference. “Disappointing with the series [loss] and the way things have gone, but nice to be the first one [NZ men’s cricketer] to get there [100 T20Is]. Hopefully, in time, Guppy and co. will surpass me and will set the benchmark. When I first played Twenty20 cricket, we used to play one game and think it would be a bit of warm-up for the one-dayers whereas it has turned into a pretty serious competition. But, no, it was evolved greatly and it’s a honour and privilege to be the first one for New Zealand.”Ross Taylor hits powerfully through the off side•Getty Images

In 2017, after the T20 World Cup in India, where Taylor had managed just 91 runs in five innings, he had been dropped from the side. The then-coach Mike Hesson explained that the players on the fringe were putting too much pressure on Taylor.Taylor has been largely out of favour in various T20 leagues around the world since the previous T20 World Cup, but is now back in the New Zealand middle order as they search for some stability. While Taylor did hit a brace of fifties against India, he was dismissed in the last over in regulation time before both the Super-Over finishes in Hamilton and Wellington.The trend continued in Mount Maunganui. After New Zealand had lost Guptill and Colin Munro cheaply in pursuit of 164, Taylor and Tim Seifert teed up 99 together off 56 balls. When New Zealand needed 66 off 60 balls, with eight wickets in hand, the game was within their grasp. However, Saini took down both the set batsmen while Jasprit Bumrah yorked Daryl Mitchell and Tim Southee to seal a 5-0 whitewash.”It’s one of those things where we’ve been there to Bangladesh a couple of times and you lose a couple of times… Different players deal with it in different ways and in saying that it’s probably a good thing that this series is over and we move onto a different format,” Taylor said.One of the positives for New Zealand in an otherwise horror series has been Seifert’s form in front of the stumps and also behind it. After struggling to finish the innings in the early half of the series, he moved up the order in the injury-enforced absence of Kane Williamson and struck back-to-back half-centuries.On Sunday, he unveiled a variety of strokes, including the slog-sweep and his favourite scoop over the shoulder. He had also briefly looked good against Bumrah when he took a blameless back-of-a-length ball from middle stump and swatted it away, bisecting wide long-on and deep midwicket in the 12th over of the chase. Taylor was pleased with Seifert’s progress and said that he will have to learn to adapt to batting outside the top three once Williamson returns from injury.Tim Seifert scored a quick half-century•Getty Images

“For him, he has taken his opportunity with Kane not going,” Taylor said of Seifert. “When Kane does come back, him batting at No.4 or wherever he ends up batting, he has got to learn that role and put pressure on the incumbents. I thought he batted well and it would’ve been nice if we had held in a little bit longer, but I’ve played 100 games and there have been what-ifs throughout my career. Not only with the bat, but with the gloves, and the way he patrols the outfield with the angles, he’s getting better and better each day.”Since the innings victory in the Mount Maunganui Test against England last November, New Zealand have been winless in nine matches across formats. Taylor, though, hoped that a switch in format to one-day cricket could switch up New Zealand’s fortunes. Taylor himself has been in stellar form in 50-overs, averaging 63.56 since the 2015 World Cup. Only India captain Virat Kohli has better figures among batsmen with more than 1000 runs in this period.New Zealand will also welcome back allrounders Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme for the three-match ODI series, which begins in Hamilton on February 5. Neesham, in particular, has been in excellent domestic form, having won the 20-over Super Smash with Wellington Firebirds and bagged career-best List A figures of 5 for 29 in the Ford Trophy.”Even though it’s a different format, it [losing] still does hurt,” Taylor said. “Winning is a habit…and losing all those tight games. We’re going into a format that’s probably one of strengths and when we do come back to play Twenty20 cricket and Test cricket, those wounds would be addressed. Now, one-day cricket, hopefully Kane’s shoulder is alright, new personnel and some world-class to come back and we look forward to have them back in the squad.”

Tom Harrison said an entire home summer without cricket was “not an outlandish scenario”

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2020Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, has estimated that an entire season without cricket will cost the game in England and Wales “well in excess of £300 million”.In a letter to PCA chief executive Tony Irish, seen by ESPNcricinfo, Harrison admitted that the ECB is “having to reset our future plans across the whole game in order to ensure its long-term survival” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to wipe out much of the English summer.The ECB unveiled an initial £61m support package on Tuesday night, aimed at ensuring both professional and recreational cricket can withstand the impact of the ongoing crisis. But with its reserves worth £11m in 2018-19 – down from £73m in 2015-16 – the potential cost of a season without cricket is a major concern.ALSO READ: PCA stall on ECB’s request for players’ 20% pay cutAs things stand, the season’s start has been pushed back to May 28 at the earliest, though that is little more than a holding date. The ECB is currently modelling what the season might look like with possible start dates in June, July and August, as well as planning for games to be played behind closed doors.In his letter, dated March 29, Harrison described the ongoing pandemic as “the biggest challenge the sport has faced in the modern era” and admitted that “although the full extent and impact of the pandemic on cricket is as yet unknown, it is already clear that it will be extremely significant”.”At the start of 2020, cricket in England and Wales was in a very strong financial position,” Harrison wrote. “Our recent renewals of media rights contracts and commercial partnerships all but guarantee our revenues and provide a high level of relative security for the next five years. With this relative security, we have been able to build a strategy for growth, based on strong investment in our core, to grow cricket and thus secure our long-term future.”This strategy has seen hugely increased investment and commitment to our players across our international and domestic game, with substantial improvements both to the pay and the conditions under which professional cricketers are employed across first-class county clubs (including raised salary collar and caps).”We have also been clear that investment into grassroots cricket is critical to creating a sustainable sport, hence our commitment to recreational programmes, to reinvigorating cricket in schools, to the women’s and girls’ game and creating the next generation of volunteers.”The investment, however, is fundamentally based on the proviso that cricket is played and thus the value proposition delivered to our broadcast and commercial partners. Whilst a range of scenarios is contemplated to account for lost matches or series across the term, a situation like the one we are facing is beyond the scope of any risk assessment and therefore has extremely serious consequences for the game’s revenues. With this public health crisis, and its likely impact on this coming season, we are thus forced to review every investment and every line of cost.”The English season has been delayed until May 28 at the earliest•Getty Images

Harrison went on to state that “everyone is feeling the pain”, listing broadcasters, commercial partners, county stakeholders, and “ordinary and loyal cricket fans” among the groups affected.”As I have said, we can only estimate the total financial impact on the game, which will not be clear for some time, but by way of offering an indication of the potential scale of the loss to the game, losing an entire cricket season – which is not an outlandish scenario – will cost cricket in England and Wales well in excess of £300m,” Harrison wrote.”Our absolute priority in the face of this challenge is firstly, to ensure the public safety of our people – our staff, players and colleagues around the game, but secondly, that the cricket network remains intact, and emerges from this crisis in a state to resume our trajectory towards a bright future.”An excerpt from Tom Harrison’s letter to Tony Irish•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Harrison himself has taken a 25% salary cut for at least the next three months – he was paid £719,175 in 2019 – while ESPNcricinfo understands that other executives have volunteered a 20% cut. Some ECB staff were informed on Wednesday morning of a decision to furlough them.On Tuesday, Harrison dismissed criticism of the ECB’s forward planning. “You can normally make business models and forecasts where you might get a 15-20% fall in revenue,” he said. “[But] there are very few businesses that would put a complete drop in revenues to zero on a risk register.”I don’t think there is a big enough reserves pot to anticipate this sort of challenge. And it is important to base any judgement on our reserves policy against the money that has gone into the network: we have a thriving network, a high-performing sport and well-paid players.”Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, said that “the serious nature of the situation economically and financially for the game is something that we have never come across”.”Certainly I’ve never experienced anything like it and don’t think anyone else has,” Morgan said. “Times are still uncertain at the moment, there’s information coming out daily, weekly, and the most important information is probably yet to come given the last week or 10 days we have had in isolation.”People are waiting to see what sort of impact that has had on the virus and if it has slowed things down or stopped the increase in infection. Realistically we can’t think about playing, when our first game will be, or how many we will play until the situation is downgraded from a pandemic.”

BCCI president says there’s a “plan in place” to conduct a camp for the India women’s team

PTI02-Aug-2020BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Sunday said the women’s IPL or the Women’s T20 Challenge, as it is better known, is “very much on”.The men’s IPL will be held between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in India. The women’s T20 matches will also be fit into the schedule, according to Ganguly.”I can confirm to you that the women’s IPL is very much on and we do have a plan in place for the national team also,” Ganguly said.The BCCI president, who is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict on waiver of the cooling-off period to continue in the position, did not divulge details but another senior official privy to the development said that the women’s T20 matches will be held during the last phase of IPL, like last year.”The women’s Challenger series is likely to be held between November 1-10 and there could be a camp before that,” the source said.A BCCI release later in the evening stated that the Women’s T20 Challenge would also take place alongside the IPL, featuring three teams playing four matches during the final week of the tournament.Ganguly also said that the centrally-contracted women players will have a camp which has been delayed due to the prevailing situation in the country.”We couldn’t have exposed any of our cricketers – be it male or female to health risk. It would have been dangerous,” Ganguly said. “The NCA also remained shut because of Covid-19. But we have a plan in place and we will have a camp for women, I can tell you that.”The BCCI’s cricket operations team is chalking up a schedule where India Women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year.With the WBBL scheduled to run between October 17 and November 29 in Australia, it remains to be seen how the authorities will manage the participation of several Indian and foreign players.

The allrounder’s one-year ban ends on October 29

Mohammad Isam11-Aug-2020Shakib Al Hasan is likely to make an immediate return to the Bangladesh team after his suspension deadline ends on October 29, with Sri Lanka the assumed venue of his comeback. Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka is all but confirmed and given how the tour schedule is shaping up, it is more than likely that Shakib will at least feature in the proposed three-match T20I series.According to SLC chief executive Mohan de Silva, the two boards have reached an agreement on Bangladesh’s departure date, but they are still in discussions over whether it will be a two or three-match Test series after the BCB requested a three-match T20I series in addition to the original tour schedule.Shakib will be training at the BKSP – Bangladesh’s largest sporting institute – from next month, so it is likely that the Bangladesh team management will have one eye on his progress towards full fitness.Head coach Russell Domingo has said Shakib’s return will depend on his fitness levels and possibly some match-time under his belt. However, he compared Shakib’s year-long break from cricket with the current Bangladesh players also having had to sit out for six months without any on-field action, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.ALSO READ: Qazi Onik banned for two years for failing dope test“I think Shakib being out for a year is not that much different to the rest of our squad who have been out for six or seven months as well,” Domingo told ESPNcricinfo. “We are hoping all the players are fit. Obviously, there are standards that they need to attain in terms of fitness level. We have to organize a bit of game time for Shakib, as well as for all the players. It is very difficult to get into international cricket without any sort of cricket. I think we need to try to find some opportunities for him to play some games. He is a world-class player so I am sure he will get back into it pretty soon, but fitness is an important thing.”Domingo, however, said Shakib would have to play unofficial cricket matches as a suspended cricketer, so a lot would depend on his fitness regime and net practice during the next couple of months. “It is something that we have to discuss with the selectors. I don’t think he can play any official game before October 29, so all games that he plays have to be unofficial games. It might be inter-squad games but we need to have clarity if he is allowed to play that.”He has to make sure he is fit and that he starts hitting balls and bowling some balls. Once we assemble before heading off to Sri Lanka – when that tour is confirmed – we will get closer to making a decision. There’s still a while to go; it is only August now. His ban finishes in two-and-a-half months. When he is fit and available, we will cross that bridge.”On Tuesday, SLC chief de Silva said Bangladesh’s departure date, September 24, is nearly confirmed but the boards are still a couple of days away from finalising the tour schedule. “It is more or less [finalized],” de Silva told the Dhaka-based TV channel . “We are actually negotiating. They [BCB] want to play three T20Is and three Tests. So we are actually negotiating with them to reduce one Test and then play the T20Is. We will be able to confirm it within a day or two.”

Ireland captain available for all group matches, plus knockout stages

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2020Andy Balbirnie, the Ireland captain, will play for Glamorgan in this year’s T20 Vitality Blast.Balbirnie will be available for all 10 group matches, plus the knockout stages if Glamorgan make it that far, after Cricket Ireland approved the move by submitting a No Objection Certificate.”I’m very pleased to see the deal go ahead – it’s a fabulous competition, and having spent a few years in Cardiff during my university days, it’s a city I know pretty well,” Balbirnie said. “”It’s a tournament I’ve watched a lot and have many friends who have played in it over the years, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to play with new people and learn from different coaches, as well as to play in a different tournament in different conditions.”It’s not been a great season for playing much cricket, so to be able to go over and play a short, sharp tournament of intense cricket will be enjoyable and a good way to end the summer.”T20 Blast – Full fixture listBalbirnie struck his sixth ODI century in a 214-run partnership with Paul Stirling to chase down a target of 329 for victory over England earlier this month in the third match of their series, won by England 2-1.A product of Cardiff MCCU, Balbirnie has has played 70 ODIs for Ireland, scoring 2041 runs with a career-best 145 not out against Afghanistan last year. He has also played 43 T20Is, scoring 945 runs at an average of 25.54 and strike rate of 129.80 with four half-centuries.Mark Wallace, Glamorgan’s director of cricket, said that with David Lloyd suffering a broken foot and Colin Ingram’s arrival from South Africa looking unlikely due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the club wanted to add some batting depth by signing Balbirnie.”Andrew is a fantastic player with a strong record in the one-day formats and was in great form during the recent series against England,” Wallace said. “He is also very used to playing in our conditions and will add a lot of experience and class at the top of the order.”The 2020 Blast season will start on August 27 with the quarter-finals on October 1 and Finals Day on October 3 at Edgbaston.