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Fire’s left-arm quicks help to set up crushing defeat for home side

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2024Welsh Fire strolled to victory against Manchester Originals in record time in the Hundred, inspired by their trio of left-arm pace bowlers who derailed the home team’s batting effort before it ever got going.David Willey, David Payne and Josh Little took 6 for 46 between them from their 60 balls, reducing the Originals, without injured captain Jos Buttler, to 4 for 3, then 26 for 5 and 37 for 7.Manchester Originals had no answer to the trio – who also registered 36 dot balls amongst their 60 balls of carnage – as they consistently hit heavy lengths at good pace on a pitch that never looked easy to bat on.Jamie Overton and Scott Currie hung around with the bat for long enough to prevent Originals posting the lowest ever total in the men’s Hundred, but their eventual score of 86 for 8 was at best an exercise in saving face.Welsh Fire’s target of 87 seemed academic and it proved as such, knocked off with a record 43 balls to spare, for the loss of just Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Jonny Bairstow.It was the perfect start for Mike Hussey’s Welsh Fire and it sealed a double win for the Cardiff-based side after their women’s team’s success earlier in the day.Meerkat Match Hero David Willey said: “We wanted to start the tournament well. We talked about setting the tone and fortunately I got Salty [Phil Salt] out early on there and we got a nice start.”I guess the swinging ball [is why the left-armers are dangerous]. These balls have been a little bit inconsistent in practice, some have swung and some haven’t. I think left-armers swinging the ball back is always dangerous.”We all want to do our strengths well, and the communication between us out there is really good as well. Credit to the backroom staff, they’ve put a good squad of bowlers together and we all complement each other nicely.”Last year was great fun, probably my most enjoyable month of the year. The staff have put together a great group of guys who enjoy each other’s company off the field as well as on the field, and I think that contributes to our success.”

Kiran Carlson adds 65 from 52 as Glamorgan chase down 299 target with 17 balls to spare

ECB Reporters Network06-Aug-2023A century from Colin Ingram guided Glamorgan to a seven-wicket win over Derbyshire in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at Derby.Ingram scored an unbeaten 115 off 108 balls and Kiran Carlson 65 from 52 as Glamorgan chased down Derbyshire’s 298 for 8 with 17 balls to spare.Billy Root helped seal victory with an unbeaten 34 from 31 balls in a stand of 82 from 76 balls with Ingram who ended the match with a six off Luis Reece.The home side were on course for a more imposing total after Harry Came with 73 and Reece 69 shared an opening stand of 134.But Haider Ali’s dismissal for 63 from 50 balls sparked a collapse that saw Derbyshire lose five wickets for 26 runs in six overs and the visitors were always favourites once Ingram and Carlson took control.It had promised to be a better day for Derbyshire when Reece and Came began to accelerate with Came pulling a free hit from Ben Morris for the first six of the innings in the 11th over.A scoop over the wicketkeeper took Reece to his 50 from 52 balls but after he was hit on his right elbow by a throw, he scored only four more runs before he came down the pitch and was stumped to give Ben Kellaway his first List A wicket.Kellaway was involved again when his direct hit from backward point ran out Came and then struck Alex Horton a painful blow on the ankle which left the wicketkeeper requiring treatment before he could continue.By then, Ali was starting to bruise the bowler’s figures, pulling and driving two big sixes on his way to a 42 ball fifty.Kellaway was hoisted onto the pavilion roof but after cutting the off-spinner for his fifth four, Ali sliced a big drive and was caught at point.From then on the innings went into decline with Matt Lamb missing an expansive drive and Tom Wood lbw trying to shovel Kiran Carlson through mid-wicket.Brooke Guest was well caught on the run at mid-wicket and Anuj Dal was bowled attempting to scoop Andy Gorvin.Derbyshire had fallen well short of what looked likely six overs earlier but some improvisation from Sam Conners and a six by Alex Thomson off the final ball of the innings took them to their highest Lisa A score against Glamorgan.The visitors established a solid base but after Tom Bevan drove a Nick Potts no ball for four and pulled the free hit for six, both openers went in consecutive overs.Bevan skied Dal to deep mid-wicket and Eddie Byrom was caught behind trying to steer Potts to third man.But Ingram and Carlson kept Glamorgan ahead of the required rate and after a short rain break, Ingram carved Conners over cover for six to take his side to 142 for 2 at the halfway point.Carlson pulled Wood for six to reach 50 from 40 balls but when he tried to sweep Thomson, he got a top edge and was caught at short fine leg.But Ingram made sure there was no late drama as he and Root secured Glamorgan’s first victory in the competition to send Derbyshire sliding to a second defeat.

“I’m not here to show anyone I should have played the World Cup; I want to find myself, enjoy cricket again,” the Royal Challengers Bangalore player says

Sruthi Ravindranath06-Mar-2023Dane van Niekerk has the chance to get back to playing competitive cricket after a lengthy layoff, and all she wants is to “find the Dane” she might have lost in an emotional rollercoaster of a journey over the past year.”I just want to get back into it,” van Niekerk told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the Women’s Premier League, where she is a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore set-up. “I haven’t played competitive cricket for such a long time, I just want to find the Dane that I’ve lost along the way with all the ups and the downs. And there were a lot more downs than ups, so it’s about finding that Dane, finding that edge again, the fearlessness.”When you go through these tiring times, you don’t like the game as much. As a cricketer, everyone says if you don’t enjoy it it’s probably time to call it [off]. I’m not there yet. But I want to find that love and that fun factor again, find the Dane that I missed, to be honest.”Related

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Just when van Niekerk recovered from a broken ankle she suffered in January 2022 and was all set to make her return to international cricket earlier this year, she was left out of South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad for failing to meet one of the board’s fitness requirements: a two-kilometre run in nine-and-a-half minutes, which she overshot by 18 seconds. She instead served as a commentator during the World Cup, held at home. The last international match she played before the layoff was an ODI against West Indies in September 2021. Since then, she has played three matches in the women’s Hundred and a couple of games at CSA’s Provincial T20 competition.She did not play Royal Challengers’ opening fixture – a loss to Delhi Capitals – and said she did not want to put pressure on herself when her turn finally came.”I think I’m at the right place to do just that [play without fear]; the management has been incredible – you know everyone has been incredible, the RCB setup has been incredible – and they understand where I’m coming from and understand where I’ve been. So I’m just feeling very valued within their environment, knowing that I haven’t played that much international cricket goes a long way.”You don’t have to put any pressure on yourself, I’m not here to show everyone or anyone that I should have played the World Cup or I should have done this – the should have, would have, could have. At the end of the day, I want to find myself, enjoy cricket again.”

Van Niekerk: ‘Women’s cricket is going in the right direction in South Africa’

South Africa might have lost to Australia in the T20 World Cup final, but they did have a few things to cheer about. It was the first time a South Africa team – men’s or women’s – had reached the final of a senior World Cup. The final in Newlands had a record turnout of 12,782 people, the highest for a women’s match in the country.Van Niekerk hoped for her cricket board to capitalise on the rising interest in women’s cricket in the country and wanted them to start focusing on improving domestic cricket.”This South African team reaching the final – the timing was so good,” she said. “The hype around women’s cricket in South Africa, then the WPL… the interest was obviously created. The exciting part is that South Africa now watch women’s cricket. Now it’s the WPL, I hope the demand for a domestic league back in South Africa will come shortly. We still have a lot of work to do, but women’s cricket is going in the right direction in our country and hopefully this can strengthen the demand for women’s cricket and a professional league, and push to professionalise all parts of our domestic cricket in South Africa.”There are four South Africans in the WPL – van Niekerk aside, there are Marizanne Kapp, Shabnim Ismail and Chloe Tryon.”I’m just excited to see them [her three compatriots] here, excited to see how they go and I wish them all the best,” van Niekerk said. “I hope they take off from where they left off in the World Cup and may this be the start for many South Africans to get into the WPL. May this grow South African cricket and its strength as well.”One of the most experienced players in the Royal Challengers set-up, van Niekerk was keen to get to know captain Smriti Mandhana better.”At such a young age she’s so composed when she bats, she’s achieved so much. She’s still young,” van Niekerk said. “You think she’s young, but the way she goes about it, I think I’d like to pick her brain. When I was that age, I didn’t look at the game that way. She’s definitely somebody I’d like to get to know better to see how she thinks and how she feels about it.”

Patel to focus on white-ball cricket, while Harry Gurney also re-signs

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2020Samit Patel is set to complete 20 years as a Nottinghamshire player after signing a two-year contract extension at the club, primarily for white-ball cricket.Patel, who made his first-class debut for Notts as a 17-year-old in 2002, was a key part of the club’s T20 Blast triumph this season, hitting a vital 28 not out from No. 8 in the quarter-final against Leicestershire before returning 2 for 42 in six overs across the semi-final and final.While he remains available for selection in red-ball cricket, Patel said that focusing on his limited-overs skills would benefit both the club and his longevity.”I’m not retiring from playing with the red ball, and I’ll always be there for Notts in first-class cricket if they need me,” Patel said. “However, Matt Carter and Liam Patterson-White are spin bowlers with their careers ahead of them, and we have a talented batting line-up with loads of potential too, so I firmly believe the club needs to go down that route in the red-ball game.”In limited-overs cricket, I believe we have a team that can be there or thereabouts for years to come. I know I have a big part to play in that and winning more trophies is the ultimate aim.”ALSO READ: County ins and outs, 2020-21Patel, who played six Tests and 54 limited-overs games in his England career, has become a regular feature on the worldwide T20 circuit in recent years, and is currently playing for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League playoffs before heading to the Lanka Premier League. He was surprisingly overlooked in the selection process for the Hundred last year, and will hope to press his case ahead of January’s draft.”Samit believes very strongly that we’ll benefit as a limited-overs team from him becoming a white-ball specialist – both in terms of the longevity of his career and with the specific focus it will bring to his preparation,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said.”The terms of this contract are reflective of Samit’s wishes in that regard. He’s earned the right over many years, and in particular with the way he went about his cricket last season, to make that decision and for us to respect it.”The club also confirmed that Harry Gurney has signed another white-ball deal for 2021 after missing the T20 Blast this summer through a shoulder injury, which also ruled him out of the IPL. Having joined from Leicestershire in 2012, Gurney will complete a decade as a Notts player next summer.”2020 has ended up being a bit of an enforced sabbatical for me,” Gurney said, “but I feel rested, refreshed and ready to power through the next phase of my rehab to get ready for 2021.”Toby Pettman, a beanpole Oxford University seamer, has also been offered professional terms for 2021 after impressing bowling coach Kevin Shine at an MCCU open day.

Spinner takes encouragement from Beaumont double-century and prospect of day-five turn

Andrew Miller24-Jun-2023Despite a tough day in the dirt at Trent Bridge, courtesy of Tammy Beaumont’s career-best 208, Ashleigh Gardner says that Australia remain quietly confident of forcing victory in their one-off Test against England, and claiming four precious points in their bid to retain the Women’s Ashes.Gardner’s attacking offspin returned Australia’s best figures of the innings – 4 for 99 in 25.2 overs – and, with two days of the Test remaining and an overnight lead of 92 thanks to an ominously composed opening stand of 82 between Phoebe Litchfield and Beth Mooney, she’s confident of having an even greater say in the fourth-innings endgame.Not only has she already had the encouragement of watching England’s star spinner Sophie Ecclestone bowl 28 consecutive first-innings overs en route to her maiden Test five-for, but Gardner believes that the Trent Bridge surface is now showing signs of cracking up, and could be ripe for Australia’s spin-laden attack come day five.”We’ve got a lot of bowling options, we’ve got three spinners,” Gardner said at the close. “So when I get the opportunity, I want to make sure that I use it. We’ve never played a five-day Test match, so knowing that that wicket will deteriorate at some point, spin is going to play a huge role for the rest of the game. I would certainly say there’s going to be a result, and that’s what we’re going to be pushing for.”Australia’s openers made a strong start to their second innings before the close•Getty Images

Both teams are about to enter into the unknown, given that previous women’s Tests have been contested across four days and therefore this sort of match situation would previously have been a nailed-on draw – much like England’s last five Tests since 2015.Instead, the contest is set to be a battle of stamina as much as skill – a point that Beaumont acknowledged at the close, after sensing that even Australia’s multi-faceted attack had been short of ideas for long tracts of her innings, not least when she and Danni Wyatt were stepping up the tempo in a lively afternoon stand of 72 that spanned 18 overs.”It certainly ebbed and flowed all day, but most of the time I feel they were a bit flat,” Beaumont told Sky Sports at the close. “But that’s Test cricket. On a hot day, and when you’re batting well and there’s not a lot in the pitch, it is difficult, so fair play to them, really.”I don’t think they expected us to play the way we did and take it to them, and get as close as we did,” Beaumont added, after England conceded a mere ten-run deficit in their first-innings 463. “The key moment was myself and Danny Wyatt’s partnership. I feel like that was where we really could have stretched them, and taken the game away from them.”Gardner, however, believed that her own team’s struggle for breakthroughs augured well for their second innings, given that it will be England facing the tough challenge of batting last.”Tammy batted really well, pretty much any bad ball that was missing the stumps, she put it away to the boundary,” Gardner said. “I guess that shows, from a batting point of view, that whenever they do miss the stumps, there’s almost a free shot out there. On the flip side, when we’ve got the ball in hand again, we’ve got to make sure that we really hone in on the stumps and just be really relentless.”We don’t necessarily want to draw a Test match. And we’re certainly in a pretty good position to push the case forward, but we just need to think small, and not think about the endgame,” she added. “We just need to work in small periods of the game, and get ourselves into a really good position to hopefully go out there and try and win it.”The speed of Litchfield’s and Mooney’s progress in Australia’s second innings rather confirmed the impression that they’d absorbed those lessons from England’s innings, as they rattled along to the close at 4.31 runs per over. And though Lauren Filer’s extra pace caused a couple of deliveries to skid through low to Litchfield in particular, that prospect could be something of a double-edged sword for England come day five.Related

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“We’ve just got to be patient, keep the sticks in play, and if it stops swinging, maybe go to that cross-seam,” Beaumont said. “It’s a really big morning session, I reckon. If we can get a few wickets, we can get on a roll and you’re seeing now that the wickets are starting to come a bit in clusters. It’s quite hard to start on this surface so you’ve just got to stay positive.”Nobody came here for a draw so, if they set us a target, I have a feeling that we’ll be giving it a good old crack,” she added. “We’ll have to wait and see what the Australians do. You’d hope that they’d want to be pushing for a result and set something up, but you never know really. It’s so early on in the Ashes and every single day, it’s been like, the team doesn’t want to crack first.”Gardner, for her part, said she had no idea yet what an appropriate fourth-innings target would look like, but said her side would be focussing on “ten-over blocks” as they look to capitalise on “any bad bowling that [England] do dish up”.”That’s super-important when you’re going into day five of a Test match, which we don’t normally do,” she said. “There’s still so much time in the game. There’s still 180 overs to go, so we’re not used to that, but it’s an exciting prospect.”

Defending champions drill co-hosts with aggressive top-order batting in Gros Islet, winning with 15 balls to spare

Vithushan Ehantharajah20-Jun-20243:45

Badree: ‘Adil Rashid is such a skillful bowler’

A devastating 87 not out from Phil Salt, supplemented by an unbeaten 48 from Jonny Bairstow, saw England thrash West Indies by eight wickets in St Lucia. It was the kind of performance that set down a marker for the rest of the teams in the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup 2024.The defending champions made light work of their target of 181, with a clinical 97-run stand between Salt and Bairstow earning victory with 15 deliveries to spare.Played out on a fine batting deck at the Daren Sammy National Stadium, Jos Buttler opted to chase at the toss. Things looked precarious after eight overs, with West Indies getting 72 on the board for the loss of just Brandon King, who collapsed with a side strain early in the fifth over, having scored 23 off his previous 12 deliveries.Related

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A diet of spin restricted West Indies’ batters thanks to Adil Rashid – the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 21 from his four overs – and Moeen Ali, who would go on to remove Johnson Charles.Rovman Powell, promoting himself to No. 4, took 20 from the 15th over, striking Liam Livingstone for three sixes down the ground in four deliveries. But an attempt at a fourth off Livingstone’s final ball brought his downfall, caught low at short third by Mark Wood, returning to the XI in place of Chris Jordan.It was the first of three wickets to fall in the space of 12 deliveries for just six runs. Jofra Archer removed Nicholas Pooran caught behind in the next over, before Andre Russell nailed a Rashid googly straight to wide long on.Rovman Powell hit five sixes in his innings•ICC/Getty Images

That West Indies were able to reach 180 without any further loss from a position of 143 for 4 with three overs to go owes as much to Sherfane Rutherford as it does to Wood. The former was able to find 28 from 15 deliveries, 13 of them off the latter as the 18th over was taken for 19.England’s pursuit began steadily enough, reaching 58 for no loss after six overs. Roston Chase’s flat delivery eventually ended the opening stand on 67, trapping Buttler in front, before Moeen came and went, batting at No. 3 for the first time since March 2023.Salt remained, and though he did end up slowing down, Bairstow was on hand to pick up the slack, striking 46 off 21 up to the 16th over. It was then that Salt tagged back in, and unfurled a brutal attack on Romario Shepherd, striking the seamer for 30 with three fours and three sixes – the joint-most expensive over by a West Indian in a T20 World Cup.The first of those boundaries brought up Salt’s half-century from 38 deliveries, before he skewered any remaining jeopardy. It left West Indies to rue a half chance to remove Salt on seven in the third over, when he toed a hack across the line through to Pooran, who could not hold on.

Bairstow clicks himself, and Salt, into gear

Salt deserved the Player-of-the-Match award. But without Bairstow’s help, he – and maybe even England – might not have had something to celebrate.Salt had emerged from the powerplay with a respectable 35 off 20. But with the field spread, twirlers working in tandem and less of the strike, he had stalled. Going into the 14th over, he had scored just 12 more from 15 deliveries.That was when Bairstow set about a jump-start. For some reason, Powell returned to Alzarri Joseph instead of persisting with the frugal Chase. Bairstow used the pace on the ball to send the first delivery over the deep midwicket fence – the longer side, no less – before ramping the next delivery for four.Adil Rashid delivered the big wicket of Andre Russell•Getty Images

Powell attempted to correct his error by bringing Akeal Hosein back on for his final over. Bairstow, though, was in an unforgiving mood. An attempted reverse sweep brought a subdued lbw appeal before a conventional sweep, a 76-metre six heaved into the stands at midwicket, and a fortuitous inside edge brought 14 from three deliveries. The 16 from the over outright made it Hosein’s most expensive of this World Cup.It was at that point, with 40 needed from 30, that Salt set about his assault on Shepherd. Bairstow watched on from the other end, settling into the role of cheerleader as his partner went ballistic. He eventually had the honour of striking the winning run, raising his personal best at T20 World Cups to 48 not out.”Once Jos got out, I had to be the better to bat through,” explained Salt. “For Jonny to come out and take the pressure off me by taking calculated risks. I couldn’t be happier about that as a teammate.”

Windies given the run around

Intent comes in many different forms. England blitzed the six-count on the tournament’s truest batting pitch, but the difference between the running out in the middle told as true a story.West Indies, for all their might, set a new unwanted record of 51 dot balls – the most any team has registered in a T20 World Cup when posting a score of at least 180. They were also responsible for the previous highest – 50 – in the 2016 edition, albeit when they chased down 193 to take down India in the semi-final on their way to their second title.Moreover, they were second-best when making use of this ground’s lop-sided dimensions, failing to rotate the strike as much as they could, and running just nine twos across their 120 deliveries. Not only did England run three more in 15 fewer deliveries, but they even managed a three in the fourth over when Buttler could not quite time a cut to the cover point sponge. It brought Salt on strike for the final ball of the over, which he used to get going by charging at Russell and launching him back over his head and onto the roof for the first of five sixes.Jofra Archer was consistently around the 90mph mark•ICC/Getty Images

Archer glee

At the time, the purchasing of Powell’s wicket for 20 runs from Livingstone’s only over did not seem a smart deal. Powell was only averaging 16.25 coming into this match. Having cooled a partisan St Lucian crowd, watching their captain hoist three quick sixes was a surefire way to get them warmed up for the arrival of Russell to assist Pooran, who was set on 32.Both were back in the hut 11 deliveries later. And while Rashid’s snaring of Russell was the icing on the cake in this little stanza that shifted the match England’s way, it was Archer’s in the 17th over that vindicated Buttler’s investment.Over the wicket to Pooran, Archer hammered a tight line across the left-hander. Ranging from full and yorker length, barring one misstep – a full toss third ball which Pooran guided through point for four – Archer had it all his own way.He was too sharp – consistently around the 90mph mark – and too unwavering for a batter slowly falling into a funk, desperate for room to access his favoured hitting zones down the ground. The least full of all the deliveries was the one that took the edge through to Buttler, Pooran presenting the face of the bat in defeat rather than defiance.With six wickets, Archer is now England’s joint top wicket-taker alongside Rashid, boasting an economy rate of 6.58, which is lower than any of his teammates barring Reece Topley (5.50), who has played two fewer games and is still yet to register a dismissal.But the best stat of all is that Archer has now turned out five times for England in the last 15 days. The previous five caps came in the space of 448 days. After the nightmare run of elbow and back injuries over the last two years, the 29-year-old may finally be out the other end.

The Sri Lankan hit 69 from 40 balls while Hannah Darlington took 2 for 13

AAP04-Nov-2023Chamari Athapaththu bludgeoned Melbourne Stars’ attack to help lead Sydney Thunder to the top of the WBBL table with a nine-wicket win at Casey Fields.After Hannah Darlington was in everything with the ball for the Thunder to restrict the Stars to 123 for 5, Athapaththu blitzed 69 from 40 balls to chase down the target with 7.1 overs to spare.Wooden-spooners last season with one win in the entire season, Thunder now have a 4-1 record this summer and loom as genuine contenders. Darlington and Athapaththu continue to be big parts of that.After being overlooked in the overseas player draft and only scooped up by Thunder just before the tournament, Athapaththu has proved a point in the opening weeks. The Sri Lankan’s 69 on Saturday follows scores of 52 and 80 earlier in the tournament, to now be the competition’s second-leading run-scorer.Given a life when Rhys McKenna missed a chance on the long-on rope on 29, Athapaththu whacked 11 boundaries and two sixes in her knock. The most damage came when she helped take spinner Sasha Moloney for 28 off one over, with two sixes over the legside and three fours through the off. Tahlia Wilson also made 45 from 33 in the chase, forming part of a 119-run opening stand with Athapaththu.Earlier, Darlington backed up her 4 for 33 against the Renegades during the week with 2 for 13 from four overs on Saturday. The 21-year-old had an impact from the outset, going for just one in the opening over, before pulling off a direct-hit run-out moments later to remove Sophie Reid.With the ball Darlington was then able to build up enough pressure to have Meg Lanning dismissed for 17. Hit on the pad by Darlington and given not out, Australia’s captain took off for a quick single and was sent back before being run out by Claire Moore. In her next over, Darlington bowled Alice Capsey for 17 with one that stayed low, before trapping Maia Bouchier lbw next ball.Handed her Australian debut as a 19-year-old two years ago, Darlington is now showing that kind of form again for Thunder.While Thunder are flying, Stars have just two wins from their opening seven games and are in real trouble at the competition’s halfway mark.

“This constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but it’s also been incredibly draining,” he says

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-20233:09

Ashwin: I’m thankful for all the lows that have come my way

When R Ashwin was left out of the XI in the WTC final last month, he had two options, he says: either “sulk and complain about it” or “learn from it”. Ashwin chose the second despite the “unfortunate” omission, focused on keeping the dressing room atmosphere “up and about” during the final and then gave his “best efforts” as soon as he was back in the Test XI.On the opening day of the Test series against West Indies in Roseau, Ashwin grabbed his 33rd Test five-for to help bowl out the hosts for just 150 to give India the advantage. He first got the big wickets of Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Brathwaite in the first session, before dismissing debutant and top-scorer Alick Athanaze and two tailenders to finish with 5 for 60. Ashwin said it was his “constant search for excellence” that has held him in good stead all this while.”There’s no human being or cricketer who has gone through the highs without the lows,” he said after the first day’s play. “When you have lows, it gives you two chances – either you sulk and complain about it and go along and go down, or you learn from it. I am someone who’s constantly learnt from my lows. In fact the best thing that’s happened after this good day that I’ve had is that I’ll have a good meal, talk to my family and then go to bed and forget about it because when you’ve had a good day you know you’ve had a good day, but there are areas you can work on and get better for tomorrow.Related

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“So this constant search for excellence has held me in good stead all the time but it’s also been incredibly draining. It’s not a journey that’s very easy. It’s been draining but I’m very thankful for all the lows that have come my way because without the lows there are no highs in your life.”In an interview during the TNPL, Ashwin had said that being left out of the WTC final as a “stumbling block” and not a “setback”. On Wednesday, he further said that even though he went to England for the WTC final with a lot of physical and mental preparations, he was also prepared to be left out.”As a cricketer it’s very tough that you have a shot at the WTC final, sitting out, all that is fine,” he said. “But what’s the difference between me and another youngster or person if I also end up sulking inside the dressing room…I was mentally prepared to play with my preparations, but I was also prepared to be not playing. If I’m not playing, then how do I respond? How do I make sure the team dressing room is really up and about because winning the WTC final is the most important thing and it could be a very high point in my career and I would have played a good role in it.”It was just unfortunate it didn’t pan out; the first day left us too much behind in the shed. But what’s the difference between me and another person who’s going to sulk? So all I’d like to give my team and team-mates and Indian cricket as a whole is some understanding and my best efforts on the field and that’s where I’d like to leave it and draw a line.”There’s so much international cricket, IPL, leagues these days around the world that it’s important for us to stay in the present. I do a lot of other things surrounding cricket, there are some teams to look after at home as well. I always try to stay in the present. What happened in the WTC final was very sad because we couldn’t win, and it was the second final in a row. Out here it was very important for me to start the series well, stay in the present and do well. I got lucky, I had a really good first spell today which set up the spell later on.”

Investigation upholds claims of victimisation from former Scotland bowler Majid Haq

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2022The board of Cricket Scotland has resigned on the eve of the publication of a review into institutional racism in the sport in the country.The report, commissioned by SportScotland, is due to be published on Monday, and came in the wake of allegations from the former Scotland bowler, Majid Haq, who did not play again after being sent home from the 2015 World Cup. Haq later claimed he had been victimised on the grounds of race.The report’s findings are expected to uphold Haq’s claims, along with those of his former team-mate Qasim Sheikh, that both men suffered abuse throughout their careers, in a situation similar to the experience of the former Yorkshire cricketer, Azeem Rafiq, who last year told a parliamentary hearing that English cricket was institutionally racist.In their joint resignation letter to interim CEO Gordon Arthur, Cricket Scotland’s board members apologised for the culture that that they had overseen, and acknowledged that the findings of the report would constitute a “watershed moment for Scottish sport and society”.”We are all truly sorry and have apologised publicly to everyone who has experienced racism, or any other form of discrimination, in cricket in Scotland,” the board wrote. “This is, without doubt, the start of another long journey to overhaul and modernise the governance of the sport to ensure its continued success in the years ahead.”The board members acknowledged the “significant support” of SportScotland in their bid to modernise the sport’s governance, but recognised that the “proposed timescales” and “certain mandated actions” for change were not achievable within the existing governance framework.”To deliver a thorough, fair and speedy resolution to the issues raised about racism, and the other [programme] to overhaul and modernise the governance of the sport are individually huge challenges for a small organisation like Cricket Scotland.”Consequently, we believe we must now step aside to enable the required progress to be made in the coming months.”Related

• Scotland racism investigators deny 'exonerations' were within their remit

• Qasim Sheikh on Scotland's racism crisis: 'We hoped to get more closure, but we didn't'

• Majid Haq looks at life beyond Scotland

• Essex fined £50,000 after accepting historic racism charges

• ECB charges Yorkshire and individuals over racism allegations

The board said that it had not yet seen the full contents of the report. However, Aamer Anwar, the lawyer representing Haq and Sheikh, said that its findings were “devastating” and added in an interview with the BBC that he expected the change at the top to be just the start.”Many who have followed in [Haq’s and Sheikh’s] footsteps have complained about a culture of systemic bullying, of racism, of humiliation and there has never been any accountability and transparency,” Anwar said. “What about the selectors, what about some of the umpires, what about the boards on local leagues because it would appear that if you are a person of colour then you face systemic racism.”A spokesperson for Cricket Scotland said: “This has been an exceptionally challenging time for everyone involved in Scottish cricket.”We have been made aware of the board’s decision and as the national agency for sport, we will take immediate steps to provide significant additional governance and leadership support to Cricket Scotland.”

Patterson, Ward and Goodwin picked on recent Shield form despite all three not being in the first-choice XIs of their respective states early in the Shield summer

Alex Malcolm15-Jan-2025New South Wales allrounder Jack Edwards has been named captain of a youthful Australia A 12-man squad to face England Lions in the upcoming four-day game in Sydney from January 30, with the squad also featuring two other fast-bowling allrounders in Aaron Hardie and Will Sutherland.Kurtis Patterson, 31, has also been recalled to the Australia A fold for the first time since 2020 and is the oldest player in the squad.Australia’s selectors have pushed for youth and have only retained five players from the squad that faced India A in two four-day games in October and November, with Jordan Buckingham, Fergus O’Neill, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli and Brendan Doggett all getting another opportunity, although Doggett was only drafted into that series as a late injury replacement.Related

• Connolly, McSweeney, Kuhnemann included for Sri Lanka tour

• Cummins, Hazlewood included for Champions Trophy

There was no room for Marcus Harris, Jimmy Peirson or Nathan McAndrew, who performed solidly in the second Australia A game in Melbourne. Former Test batters Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb were also not selected. The latter was very close to being selected for the Sri Lanka Test tour and is currently captaining the Cricket Australia XI against England Lions in the first match of the tour in Brisbane.Cameron Bancroft is unavailable through injury after fracturing his shoulder in the BBL. Veteran two-Test seamer Michael Neser, who injured his hamstring in the Australia A game at the MCG, has also not been selected.The selectors showed how much they valued performances in the Australia A matches during the Test series against India with Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas and Beau Webster all selected for their Test debuts after good performances against India A. Doggett was also called into the Test squad for the second and third Tests as fast-bowling cover following his stunning 6 for 15 against India A in Mackay.CA contracted fast bowler Xavier Bartlett gets an opportunity after missing the two Australia A matches with a side injury. He took 5 for 32 in his last first-class match for Queensland before the BBL break.Aaron Hardie is the only member of the Australia A squad who is also in the Champions Trophy squad•Getty Images

By overlooking Harris, Renshaw and Handscomb, the selectors are looking to the future on the batting front with the exception of Patterson. Jayden Goodwin and Tim Ward, like Patterson, have been rewarded for outstanding recent Shield form despite all three not being in the first-choice XIs of their respective states early in the Shield summer.Ward, 26, played four matches for Australia A against New Zealand A in 2023 and made three half-centuries in eight innings but was dropped by Tasmania last season. However, he has bounced back strongly with scores of 51, 92, 96, 7 and 142 since being recalled by Tasmania in November.Goodwin, 23, is currently playing in the CA XI alongside Ward and is highly regarded by the national selectors despite only averaging 32.38 across 27 first-class innings. But he made scores of 94, 139 and 69 in Shield cricket in November with the latter two coming against South Australia in a pink-ball game, which featured Doggett and Australian white-ball pacer Spencer Johnson.Hardie is the only member of the Australia A squad who is also in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad. He has not been bowling recently due to an ongoing quad issue and has only played one first-class match this summer after a lean season with the bat last year in red-ball cricket. But he has scored a century for Australia A previously in New Zealand in 2023.Sutherland, 25, is the only full-time Shield captain in the squad, but Edwards captained NSW in three Shield games prior to the BBL break, standing in for the absent Moises Henriques, and is NSW’s permanent 50-over captain. It will be the first time Edwards has represented Australia A, having played all 37 of his first-class matches for NSW, averaging 28.21 with the bat and 26.69 with the ball.Australia A squad: Jack Edwards (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Brendan Doggett, Jordan Buckingham, Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie, Fergus O’Neill, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe (wk), Corey Rocchiccioli , Will Sutherland, Tim Ward