BCB is trying to convince Tamim Iqbal, who has taken a break from the format, to be available for selection

Mohammad Isam17-May-2022Bangladesh will play a T20I tri-series in New Zealand, likely in September-October, as part of their build-up to this year’s T20 World Cup, BCB’s cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus has confirmed, adding that Pakistan are likely to be the third team, and the series is going to be held in Christchurch.Before reaching New Zealand, Bangladesh will travel to Australia for a weeklong camp in Adelaide, where they will play T20 practice matches against local sides. This will be in September. The dates for the tri-series haven’t been announced yet, but the likeliest window is between late September and early October. The World Cup starts October 16, with the Super 12s, of which Bangladesh and New Zealand are a part, starting October 22.”We will play more than 16 T20 matches [before the T20 World Cup],” Yunus said at a press interaction. “We will not need a separate camp, since this is itself a lot of preparation. We will be holding a camp in Adelaide for a week, before heading to New Zealand to play the tri-nation tournament.”Related

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The 16 matches Yunus mentioned include T20Is in West Indies and Zimbabwe in July and August, apart from the Asia Cup, which will also be a T20I affair.Yunus said that the BCB has been holding regular meetings with Tamim Iqbal about his possible return to the T20I side. Tamim said in January that he should not be considered for selection to the T20I side for six months, but that might change.”Tamim is one of the most senior players. We have held a series of meetings with him, and he understands his position very well,” Yunus said. “You will probably hear about it from him when the six months are over. We want him to play, and we are trying [to convince him]. We will definitely respect his decision since he has to consider his future as a cricketer.”Yunus also said that Anamul Haque, who made a record-breaking 1138 runs in the List A Dhaka Premier League last month, could be selected in the Bangladesh white-ball teams in next month’s West Indies tour. “I think the selectors are considering [him] for the ODIs and T20Is against West Indies,” he said.

Veteran seamer says new coach McCullum has made an impact already

Alan Gardner15-Jun-2022Brendon McCullum urged England to “attack the danger” during their run chase in Nottingham, with the result being what Stuart Broad called “the most outrageous hour I’ve seen in Test cricket”.Broad was padded up and watching on from the dressing room at Trent Bridge as Jonny Bairstow blew the doors off England’s chase of 299, hitting 93 off 44 balls after tea on the final day. Comparing the game to Headingley 2019, when Ben Stokes guided England to victory after a 76-run partnership for the final wicket, Broad said the win over New Zealand had been just as astounding.”Baz’s team talk was very much ‘let’s attack the danger, let’s run towards the danger’ and every part of your mind is going for this win,” he said. “Whoever is to come, the changing room has full belief that you can do your job to get the win. So it was never really a case of, if we lose one we might shut up shop. It was always we’re going to win. And if it doesn’t work, don’t worry about it, but we’re going to go for the win.”But I didn’t quite expect to see what I saw from Jonny. It was the most outrageous hour I’ve seen in Test cricket from a partnership. Obviously Headingley had incredible nerves. I felt sick watching that tight thing with Leach and Stokesy. But that was just exhilarating, astonishing. Trent Bridge giving out free tickets, I’m sure there were people in this ground who have never watched Test cricket before. How inspiring is that?”At Headingley, you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and it felt very nerve-wracking, you were sick with seeing what’s coming. Whereas that was just about shouting every time a boundary happened. I saw a stat that showed in nine overs they scored 102 after tea. It wasn’t as if Baz said ‘go and whack it, go and slog it’. It was just play with the mindset that we’re going to chase these runs down. And Jonny just got hold of a few pull shots that got him going. That striking was… only a handful of players in the world can do that. Johnny is obviously in that group.”Related

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Broad said that “there’s no doubt Baz has had an impact already”, with various members of the team having spoken already about the mantra of relentless positivity that has accompanied McCullum’s arrival as Test coach.”He was absolutely buzzing that we got 380 on day three,” Broad said. “It didn’t matter how many wickets, it was the run rate. How good is that? 380 in a day, well batted lads. It’s not just praising guys who get a hundred, it’s tiny little things, bits of fielding, momentum changes in the game. He will bring attention to that.”He looks like a guy who has a cricket brain that is working all the time. He is thinking how we can change the game. That doesn’t mean he’s saying ‘what about this or that’ every minute. I feel like he’s got an energy of not letting the game sit, where can we manoeuvre it to.”At tea today, the way he spoke two-three minutes before the bell, he didn’t say I’d prefer to lose than draw, but it was that mindset – it was going for a win at all costs. I want to win, find your way to do that. You have my full backing, Stokes’ full backing to go get the win.”The effect has been clear on both batting and bowling. England scored at a rate of 4.7 runs per over during the Trent Bridge Test, and continued to set attacking fields as New Zealand made 553 in their first innings. Broad struggled somewhat, with figures of 2 for 107, but saw chances go down off Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell.”I didn’t bowl that well in the first innings, but it felt like any mistake I made on length and line it went for four,” he said. “I felt like it got even quicker as the game went on. Could we have bowled dry? Potentially, but that is a different day if we snaffle a couple of catches. [Daryl] Mitchell went down, Blundell, Nicholls. The mindset is, how do we get more fielders in wicket-taking positions rather than protection, which gives us a better chance of bowling them out?”In the second innings, Broad helped bring about crucial breakthroughs. On the fourth evening, Blundell was held by Stokes in a catching position at backward square leg to end another potentially pivotal fifth-wicket stand; then on day five, with New Zealand edging further in front, Broad’s short ball again did the trick as a change to the field tempted Matt Henry into hooking and opened up the game.”How it’s affected me is that rather than having the bloke 20 yards further back to stop the four, it’s if he strikes it well and he’s 20 yards in, he could catch it,” Broad said. “It’s a tiny little mindset change, but it’s about getting wickets, not stopping boundaries.”My role as a bowler [on day four] was how could we take 10 wickets here and get us over the line. Although it wasn’t the classical seven – it’s not like we guided them out with skill and pressure, we got seven wickets through the momentum of the game really. And once we got a sniff… I came this morning feeling very relaxed. I felt like we were going to win the game.”

Harleen Deol makes a comeback to India’s 50-overs set-up having played her one and only ODI in 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2022Veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami does not feature in India’s white-ball squads that will travel to Sri Lanka later this month. The contingent will also be without the newly retired Mithali Raj, but Jemimah Rodrigues returns for the T20I leg, while Harleen Deol comes in for the ODIs.India T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been put in charge of the ODI squad too, taking over from Raj, with Smriti Mandhana deputising.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Raj, 39, had announced her retirement from international cricket earlier in the day, saying she was leaving because “the team is in the capable hands of some very talented young players”. That next generation will also have to bridge the gap in experience left by the additional absence of Goswami, who is also 39. Raj and Goswami between them have the experience of 433 ODIs and 157 T20Is.Given her potential, 21-one-year-old middle-order batter Rodrigues’ omission from the Indian women’s team’s previous assignment – a limited-overs tour of New Zealand in February followed by the 50-over World Cup in the same country in March – had caused a stir, despite her form not being the best. Now she has made her way back into the T20I set-up following a Player-of-the-Match 66 off 44 for Trailblazers in the recent Women’s T20 Challenge.Related

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Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, who last played for India in mid-2021, also returns to the T20I squad. Both Simran Bahadur and S Meghana were retained in the T20I squad and returned to the main ODI side after being among the reserves at the recent World Cup.Deol, meanwhile, will be looking forward to her first ODI since February 2019 – her only ODI till date. The middle-order batter had finished third on the runs charts while averaging over 60 in the domestic Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy, but did not make the cut for the last World Cup. The players who did make it but miss out here are allrounder Sneh Rana and left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht.

Sri Lanka vs India fixtures

1st T20I, June 23, Dambulla
2nd T20I, June 25, Dambulla
3rd T20I, June 27, Dambulla
1st ODI, July 1, Kandy
2nd ODI, July 4, Kandy
3rd ODI, July 7, Kandy

India Women’s ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana (reserve at World Cup), Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur (reserve at the World Cup), Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol
Out: Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Sneh Rana, Ekta Bisht (reserve at World Cup)
In: Harleen DeolIndia Women’s T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav
Out: Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht
In: Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav

Sophie Luff hits 95 but Stars captain leads the way with bat and ball

ECB Reporters Network23-Jul-2022Alice Davidson-Richards produced a brilliant all-round performance to inspire South East Stars to a 36-run victory over Western Storm in an entertaining Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy encounter at Cheltenham.Davidson-Richards made 50 with the bat and then weighed in with 4 for 33 with the ball to ensure Stars maintain their pursuit of frontrunners Southern Vipers and Northern Diamonds.Chloe Brewer top-scored with 61 and Rhianna Southby hit 54 as Stars posted a formidable 283-8 after winning the toss, while offspinner Chloe Skelton took competition-best figures of 5 for 54 to keep Storm in the hunt.Sophie Luff and Alex Griffiths made a decent fist of chasing, scoring 95 and 48 respectively in staging a stand of 102 for the second wicket, but Davidson-Richards took key wickets and Alexa Stonehouse returned figures of 3 for 27 as Storm were dismissed for 247 in 48 overs, Stars holding their nerve to see the game out with something to spare.Stars elected to bat and, thanks to Brewer’s initiative, commenced their innings in T20 mode. Playing on the front foot, Brewer succeeded in knocking Storm new-ball stalwart Lauren Filer off her length and putting the home side under immediate pressure.Sophie Luff led from the front•Getty Images

Danielle Gibson had Kirstie White held at slip for 11 in the fifth over, but Brewer was already out of the traps and in full flight, having quickly worked out how to use the College Ground slope to her advantage. Cutting and driving with impunity, the 20-year-old opener raced to a 36-ball 50 as Stars made the most of the fielding restrictions to post 70 from 10 overs. Having set an aggressive tone to raise 61 from 53 balls and garner nine fours, Brewer chanced her arm once too often, miss-timing a drive off Skelton and skying a catch to mid-off, where Gibson took a tricky catch over her shoulder.Storm breathed a sigh of relief and sought to restore order by deploying spin at both ends, Skelton and Sophia Smale at least succeeding in controlling the run rate where seam had failed. Encouraged by her earlier success, Skelton made further inroads, inducing Kira Chathli to drive expansively and hole out to Fi Morris at mid-on for 14.But Davidson-Richards was already displaying immaculate timing and striking the ball cleanly and her alliance with Phoebe Franklin, who adopted the role of chief support in a progressive stand of 56 in 11 overs for the fourth wicket, ensured Stars reached halfway on 144-3 to regain the upper hand.One of four spinners who sent down 32 overs between them for Storm, Morris removed Franklin in the 28th over, the Kent right-hander miss-cuing a drive and offering a catch to the ubiquitous Skelton at mid-off, having contributed a handy 29 from 37 balls. Davidson-Richards went to 50 via 64 balls, with five boundaries, and was looking to bat long when she inexplicably attempted a reverse sweep against Claire NIcholas and was held at backward point.Katie George kept things tight during seven overs from the Chapel End, but Stars again broke loose from any attempt to shackle them, Southby and Lauren Smith wresting back the initiative in an exhilarating stand of 57 in 44 balls for the sixth wicket. Southby demonstrated excellent placement in scoring at a run a ball and she and Australian Smith ran frantically between the wickets to put the fielding side under intense pressure.Southby raised 50 in the grand manner, hoisting a delivery from Gibson over the square leg boundary to register the only six of the innings. She had harvested 54 from 52 balls and accrued 5 fours and a six when she hit the returning Skelton to mid-on with the score on 247. Skelton accounted for Smith and Alexa Stonehouse in quick succession, taking three wickets in five balls to register her first five-wicket haul in the competition, but the damage had already been done.Related

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Constrained by Stonehouse, who sent down five overs for nine runs and clean bowled Nat Wraith for four, Storm battled to 48-1 by the end of the 10-over powerplay. Setting their stall out to bat long, Luff and Griffiths advanced their partnership to 50 from 65 balls, found modest acceleration to raise a three-figure stand from a further 57 deliveries and demonstrated impressive footwork to deal with the threat posed by Danielle Gregory’s legspin.Luff reached 50 from 66 balls and Griffiths, having hewn 48 from 79 deliveries, looked a sure bet to emulate her when she top-edged a drive and was caught at the wicket off the bowling of Davidson-Richards in the 27th over with 123 on the board.The required rate was already above seven an over when new batter Fran Wilson smacked Davidson-Richards straight to midwicket and departed for 15, and Franklin made Storm’s task even more difficult by removing George for 16 in the 38th over. Morris was bowled by Eva Gray in the next over, at which point Storm were 183 for 5 and in need of inspiration.Chasing 86 to win off the last 10 overs, Storm suffered a further blow when the returning Stonehouse bowled Gibson for 9, while Smale was adjudged lbw to Ryana Macdonald-Gay as Stars turned the screw.Lauren Filer elected to throw caution to the wind, scoring at better than a run a ball to put the visitors under pressure, but Luff’s brave pursuit of victory ended when she was bowled by Stonehouse, having made 95 from 119 balls, with 11 fours. And with the captain, went Storm’s last chance.

Team-mate hopes his example can encourage others to seek help when they need it

Vithushan Ehantharajah23-Aug-20222:11

Ben Stokes – ‘Everything still has an effect, even years down the road from the event happening’

Joe Root has praised the honesty of Ben Stokes for talking about his struggles with anxiety and believes the England captain’s openness on the subject will continue the progress made against the stigma of mental health.Speaking in his new documentary film, “Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes”, the 31-year-old has opened up about the battles endured, including a series of panic attacks stemming from a build-up of personal trauma over the previous few years. That came to a head in 2021, when Stokes took a break midway through the summer for his well-being having struggled to come to terms with his father’s passing the year before, during which period he contemplated walking away from the game entirely.The allrounder was keen to talk on all matters, good and bad, without sugarcoating. As such, he ends up speaking extensively on working through his issues initially, and the constant management of his anxiety through medication and professional help.Root, who features in the film, watched it for the first at the premiere on Monday in London, along with the rest of the England squad, who then arrived in Manchester on Tuesday morning ahead of the second Test against South Africa, which begins here on Thursday.. While he admits it was a tough watch, Root envisages many who watch the film, whether into cricket or otherwise, will leave with a greater sense of the man and a reaffirmation of the importance of asking those close to you how they are.”I think it’s exactly what you’ve come to see from Ben as a leader,” Root said at Emirates Old Trafford, where England will look to square the three-match series. “How honest he is, what he expects of everyone else is stuff he would be willing to do himself. I think it shows great courage, great bravery to come out and speak openly about that stuff and some of the struggles he has personally been through. We were all there with him going through it, it’s not easy to see a close friend and team-mate like that but look at him now. It’s great to have him leading this team and making Test cricket so enjoyable to play and to watch.Joe Root and Ben Stokes share a joke in the wake of England’s victory over New Zealand at Lord’s•Getty Images

“I think with any of your mates you want to get around them, make sure you do what you can to help. That goes within the dressing room environment and away from the game as well. You just want to do what you can to help out.”It’s quite powerful for people to see. Sometimes it’s okay not to be okay, to ask for help is perfectly alright and a brave thing to do. For someone like Ben to do that – hopefully if there are people out there struggling or finding things difficult, they can gain the courage to ask for that help.”Related

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Root also revealed he knew of the possibility Stokes was considering leaving the game. During Stokes’ time away, Root was one of the few people in the England dressing room still in regular contact. As captain, he had been shorn of his right-hand man for the series against India, before being bolstered by his return for the Ashes that winter. A 4-0 defeat to Australia, then a 1-0 loss in the Caribbean was ultimately Root’s lot, before Stokes took over in May.”There were discussions at different points, but they are things should be kept between the two of us,” he said. “It’s been very powerful watching that documentary – you forget how much he has been through in such a short space of time. It’s very brave to lay himself as bare as he has done. It’s very powerful for anyone watching, to see someone who at times looks superhuman and can do things that other players can’t do – it shows great leadership to put yourself out there and express some of the difficulties he’s had to go through.”

Somerset inch clear of Warwickshire in bid to avoid relegation

ECB Reporters Network08-Sep-2022Gloucestershire 343 and 278 for 7 dec (Charlesworth 64, O. Price 53, Hammond 53) drew Somerset 248 (Imam-ul-Haq 90, Rew 44*, T. Price 5-75) and 11 for 0Gloucestershire’s bid for a first LV= Insurance County Championship win of the season was thwarted by the weather on the final day of the match with Somerset at Taunton.The visitors began the day by extending their second innings total from an overnight 246 for five to 278 for seven before declaring with a lead of 373.But soon the rain that had been forecast for much of the first three days set in and the match was condemned to draw at 3.10pm, with Somerset 11 without loss in their second innings.While Gloucestershire dominated the match from the opening morning, they took only 12 points, having two deducted for a slow over-rate, while their neighbours also picked up 12.That lifted Somerset seven points clear of second-from-bottom Warwickshire, while their arch-rivals are doomed to relegation, 30 points adrift at the bottom of the table with only two games to play.With the weather forecast suggesting showers, Gloucestershire’s decision to bat on at the start of the day was surprising.Skipper Graeme van Buuren skied a catch to fine leg off the first ball of the day, sent down by Josh Davey, and Jack Taylor followed suit in the second over, lofting Jack Brooks to mid-off.David Payne hit a couple of big sixes before the declaration came after 15 minutes, with rain starting to fall.The initial shower delayed the start of Somerset’s innings by 15 minutes. When it got underway the hearts of home supporters in a small crowd were soon in their mouths.Iman-ul-Haq, so solid in the first innings, aimed an expansive back-foot shot off only the third ball, bowled by Payne, and survived a massive appeal for a catch by wicketkeeper James Bracey.More frustration for Gloucestershire followed when, with only 3.5 overs bowled, the rain returned, with Somerset openers Tom Lammonby and Imam on six and five respectively..Umpires Tom Lungley and Nigel Llong decided that an early lunch would be taken at 12.20pm with a view to restarting the game at 1pm.But the rain became heavier and the next announcement was of a 2.15pm pitch inspection, which also proved optimistic.Tea was taken at 2.40pm, by which time the main item of interest appeared to be whether Gloucestershire would have time to correct a minus two over-rate.Half an hour later it was clear that wouldn’t happen and Somerset had by far the greater cause for satisfaction at the outcome.

Former captain says team’s T20I decline started in 2016, and urges “all stakeholders” to come together and find a way forward

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Oct-2022Kieron Pollard has described West Indies’ failure to make the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 World Cup as a “sad day” for Caribbean cricket. The former captain, who retired in April, said he was both “surprised” and disappointed at West Indies’ exit and agreed that head coach Phil Simmons will now come under pressure to keep his job. Pollard, however, stressed that the blame had to be shared by all stakeholders and not any individual.”A bit surprised, to be honest that [West Indies] weren’t able to get over the line against the other teams,” he told , a Trinidad-based radio station last weekend. “But again, that speaks volumes of where our cricket as is at the moment. I feel it. I feel it for the guys because they are the ones that are going to get the bashing. And it’s not all their fault.”Having already failed to secure direct entry into the Super 12s (permitted to the top eight-ranked teams at a pre-determined cut-off date as well as the hosts Australia), Nicholas Pooran’s team struggled badly in the first round, notching a solitary win, against Zimbabwe, while losing to Scotland and Ireland which forced them out of the tournament.Related

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The shocking exit invited derision both at home and abroad. Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt issued a scathing statement saying a “post-mortem” would be carried out immediately, while former Australia captain Ricky Ponting described the team’s performances as a “disgrace.”Pollard, though, was not interested in hauling up Pooran and his men. Instead he highlighted a wider point, especially on selections, which he said played a part in their dismal showing at the 2021 T20 World Cup as well, where he was the captain. West Indies crashed out of that competition with a solitary win alongside four defeats.”We have a young captain, we have young players, guys who would have played only a handful of [matches in] T20 cricket and now they are in the World Cup,” Pollard said. “And when I look back at it, I sit back and I have a smile on my face. Because I remember some of the things that was said last year around this time, when some individuals weren’t selected.”I just had to remind these people that there was a World Cup we were going to [in 2021] and another bilateral series [in New Zealand]. And now some of the individuals get the opportunity to play in the World Cup. And, again, look what has happened. It’s no fault of theirs. But when we tried to sort of protect them and let people understand [in 2021], they were not ready for that, we were lambasted. There were a lot of things that were said that were very derogatory at times. It’s a sad day for West Indies cricket and all of us.”Just like last year’s World Cup, West Indies’ selections became a big talking point. The Desmond Haynes-led panel named a 15-member squad that did not feature the two best T20 players in the Caribbean: Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. At the time, Haynes explained this decision by saying Russell was not performing the way they would like and Narine appeared disinterested in playing for West Indies.The CWI then dropped Shimron Hetmyer for failing to get on a rescheduled flight to Australia. Only two players, Pooran and Evin Lewis, were part of the original 15-member squads in both 2021 and 2022. Along with Rovman Powell, they were the only three with at least 50 T20Is under their belt. Jason Holder has 49, and is a former captain and a World Cup winner. After that, West Indies were struggling for experienced campaigners. This was in contrast to the 2021 squad which featured Pollard, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Russell and Lendl Simmons.”Experience means a lot. And we take that for granted in the Caribbean,” Pollard said. “[There] has been a notion over the years [that] as soon as you reach a certain age, you should be done away with. And when you have guys in the team, they want you to get out of the team or when the guys are not there, they understand the importance of the guys. And this is another situation of not having couple of experienced guys around to help the youngsters, to help the youth.”Haynes had pointed out that form in the 2022 CPL would play a key role in the World Cup squad selection. Pollard said that while that was fine, other parameters needed to be considered.”Not just based on form. It’s a holistic sort of approach on what you bring in all different facets and dimensions of the team. A guy might not be in form, but the experience and the knowledge that he can bring and share and help someone can be valuable as well. But again, we as a people, we go with what we see in front of us. So the last thing we would have seen maybe would have been the CPL before the team was selected. And whoever did well in two games, they should be selected. And that’s not how that’s not how it goes.”Pollard believes West Indies have gone “downhill” ever since their triumph in the 2016 T20 World Cup•Saurabh Das/Associated Press

“Decline started after the 2016 T20 World Cup win”

According to Pollard, West Indies’ “decline” in T20 cricket is not a recent occurrence. It had begun in 2016, immediately after they became the first team to win two T20 World Cups. Since that tournament six years ago, West Indies have won 33 out of the 99 T20Is they have played, including 58 defeats. During Pollard’s tenure as T20I captain, West Indies won 13 out of 39 matches with 21 losses. Under Pooran, who replaced Pollard this May, West Indies have won eight out of 23 matches including 14 defeats.Pollard blamed the “culture” for failing to have former cricketers as part of the system and helping it grow.”We dominated in the 80s, which was all well and good [but] what did we do for the future? We went downhill. We won our last World Cup in 2012 and 2016. The decline of our T20 team started in 2016. The then captain, Daren Sammy, played his last game in 2016. All the guys who played and won that World Cup did not play cricket together for how many years after that – that is where the decline of our T20 cricket started. Since then we moved from the No. 1 in a space of months to No. 7. Why?”Coming back to the present, Pollard expects coach Simmons to face some heat, but believes that letting him go wouldn’t solve any problem.”I won’t get into all of that right here and now. The easiest thing for us to say and to do [is]: ‘fire coach, fire the captain, change the players and that’s going to be a difference.’ That’s not going to happen.”A better way, Pollard stressed, would be to have all stakeholders have an honest discussion to find a way forward to help West Indies cricket.”All stakeholders need to come together. When I say all, I mean everybody and sit down and decide where we want to take cricket in the Caribbean We need to improve our facilities. We need to have academies. We need to put things in place for the younger ones, so they can be the ones to do West Indies proud. And if we don’t do that and we just continue to fight, politicise, be insular, then we are going nowhere.”

The five franchise names have not been announced, with more turnover in ownership expected

Andrew Fidel Fernando15-Oct-2022Sri Lanka Cricket has officially confirmed that the postponed third edition of the Lanka Premier League will run from December 6 to 23 – roughly the same window it occupied last year. In August, LPL tournament organiser Samantha Dodanwela had confirmed the start date, but now the duration of the tournament is also set in stone, along with the date of the final.The tournament will again feature five teams, with franchises named for the cities of Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, and Dambulla. The LPL will be played across three venues – the action starting in Sooriyawewa (Hambantota), before moving to Pallekele, with the business end set to be played at Khettarama (Colombo).The format is also identical to the second edition. Each team will play each other twice in the round-robin stage, before four of the five sides move into the qualifiers, which take the form of the IPL’s final sequence. There will be a direct qualifier to the final to be played between the sides finishing first and second, before teams three and four play an eliminator. A second eliminator will then determine the other finalist.Related

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The tournament was not particularly stable in the first place, with substantial turnover in team ownership between the first and second seasons. But this year the LPL has had the additional challenge of navigating Sri Lanka’s crippling economic crisis, which according to league organisers was the primary reason for the tournament’s postponement from August.Although Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG group (who are the official organisers) have announced the fixtures, there is little news as to who will own the five franchises this season. The franchise names have also not been announced. More turnover in ownership is expected.The side from Jaffna, called the Stallions under the original owners, then Kings under last season’s owners, have won both editions thus far.

Opener Travis Dean made 70 not out as Victoria batted for a draw against Tasmania after heavy rain and hail washed away large parts of the final day in Hobart

AAP01-Nov-2022Two Hobart hailstorms and firm resistance from Victoria’s top order have combined to deny Tasmania back-to-back Sheffield Shield wins.After resuming at 44 for 1 on the final day and still needing another 140 to make Tasmania bat again, Victoria made clear their plan to bat through the day at Blundstone Arena.But they needed to face just 45.5 overs, as heavy rain and hail stopped play early in the middle session with Victoria 113 for 1.The rain eventually subsided as an early tea was called, but 12 minutes after the players returned more heavy hail hit with Victoria 122 for 1. The teams agreed to a draw.Opener Travis Dean offered the most resistance for Victoria, soaking up 200 balls for his 70 not out.His innings included a 50-over stand that netted 80 runs with Mitchell Perry, who was unbeaten on 31 from 159 balls.Victoria were in the box seat after the opening two days thanks to an unbeaten century from debutant Ashley Chandrasinghe that allowed them to declare at 7-351.But Jordan Silk’s quickfire 154 from 161 balls helped Tasmania take a mammoth 184-run first-innings lead.That gave the Tigers a shot at a second straight win after toppling South Australia a fortnight ago, but any hopes of a win were quickly extinguished on Tuesday.The result marks Victoria’s third straight draw to start the season after they were denied by Western Australia and South Australia in the opening rounds.

Mike Baird, the former NSW premier, will take up the position next February

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2022Cricket Australia will have its fourth chair in less than 18 months after Lachlan Henderson announced he would step down early next year having taken a new role in the corporate world.Mike Baird, the former New South Wales premier, will take up the position next February having been unanimously endorsed.Henderson, who will remain on the board, became chair in February when he was appointed the permanent replacement for Earl Eddings who resigned in October 2021. Richard Freudenstein held the role in an interim position before Henderson.

Chair stacking

David Peever: 2015-2018
Earl Eddings: 2018-2021
Richard Freudenstein: 2021-22 (interim)
Lachlan Henderson: 2022-23
Mike Baird: 2023-

“The new role I’ve taken in my home city Perth will make it difficult to devote the time required as Chair, so I have decided this is the right time to hand over the role,” Henderson said.Baird will take the chair at a crucial time for the game in Australia with the next broadcast rights and new MoU currently being negotiated.”Lachlan has made a great contribution as Chair and I’m delighted he will continue to provide his considerable business and cricket expertise on the CA Board,” he said.”It is an honour to take such an important role in Australian cricket at a time when so much exciting work is being done to grow our national sport and take it forward. I’m pleased to have the chance to work even more closely with CEO Nick Hockley and his team and all those working across Australian cricket.”It was been a controversial week for CA amid the fallout to David Warner withdrawing from his bid to have his leadership ban overturned, a process that was led by CEO Nick Hockley and endorsed by the board.