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The left-arm quick spent the last two months on the road, playing in the ILT20 and the PSL

Matt Roller20-Mar-2024David Willey will miss the start of IPL 2024, where he was due to play for Lucknow Super Giants, due to personal reasons. The English left-arm seamer spent the last two IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore and was due to play for LSG this year after he was signed at his base price of INR 2 crore (£190,000 approx) in December’s auction in Dubai.But Justin Langer, LSG’s new head coach, revealed on Wednesday that Willey would not be available for the start of the season, after spending the last two months on the road, representing Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and Multan Sultans in the ILT20 and the PSL respectively.Related

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ESPNcricinfo understands that Willey has not yet been replaced in the squad and could yet travel to India at some stage in the tournament. But he has been away from home for most of the English winter, having played at the World Cup in India, and he returned to the UK after playing in Monday’s PSL final.Willey is the second Englishman who is unavailable for the start of LSG’s season, after Mark Wood was pulled out by the ECB for the whole campaign to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup. Wood has been replaced by Shamar Joseph, the West Indies fast bowler, while Willey has not yet been replaced.”With Mark Wood pulling out of the tournament and also David Willey won’t be coming now either, that means we lack some experience,” Langer said, when asked about LSG’s pace attack. “But what I’ve also seen in the last couple of days is that we have enormous talent. Some of our guys have had some injuries but they all look very fit at the moment.”They look fit and healthy and they’re very hungry, so we’ll just have to manage them well so that we can get them through and work through the whole tournament, not just the start of the tournament. We’ve got one overseas player up our sleeve if required, where we might be able to add some experience.”Langer also name-checked the 21-year-old Delhi seamer Mayank Yadav as a genuine fast bowler who could provide some pace in Wood’s absence. “Mark Wood is a world-class bowler, isn’t he? And he pulled out after the auction, which is disappointing but this is the world we live in,” Langer said.”We also have Shamar Joseph, we have Mayank who bowls with very good pace. Hopefully we can replace, not [Wood’s] experience, but his pace with Shamar Joseph and Mayank. He’ll be missed – of course he’ll be missed, he’s a world-class bowler – but this is the world we live in and we will adapt and we will be okay.”LSG will travel to Jaipur this week ahead of their opening match of IPL 2024, against Rajasthan Royals in an afternoon game on Sunday.

ECB’s director of business operations says board is willing to wait for the right fit for competition

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Sep-2024Private investment into the Hundred may not be finalised by next year if the right bids and suitors are not found, according to Vikram Banerjee, director of business operations at the England & Wales Cricket Board, and the man tasked with selling off stakes in the Hundred franchises.The ECB announced at the start of September that they had officially opened the process to secure private investment into the eight Hundred teams. Though the initial plan was to have sales ratified ahead of the 2025 edition of the tournament, the process could roll on to find appropriate valuations and owners.Each of the eight hosting counties are set to be given a 51 percent stake, which they can hold or sell, with the remaining 49 percent in each side available to be sold by the ECB. Any money raised from that 49 percent will then be distributed between first-class counties, Marylebone Cricket Club and the recreational game. Financial advisers Deloitte and Raine Group have been recruited to ensure fair market value, with legal co-counsel provided by Latham & Watkins and Onside Law LLP.Though the ECB are collaborating with host venues to assess the suitability of prospective partners, they are doing so with vigilance. A report in City AM on Tuesday stated the governing body have warned Hampshire they will be stripped of their stake in Southern Brave if their prospective new buyers GMR Group – owners of IPL side Delhi Capitals – do not pay a fair market price for the Hundred franchise.The Telegraph reported in August that GMR Group had agreed a £120 million deal to buy Hampshire, which could see them pocket the 51 percent gifted to the county as part of that deal. If that were the case, investors could view purchasing counties outright as a cheaper gateway into the competition, although that would first require a process of demutualisation by the member-owned clubs concerned, with Hampshire and Durham the only exceptions at present.Yorkshire, who host Northern Superchargers at Headingley and are subject to a bid from Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, are currently seeking to undergo a process of demutualisation, with a super-majority of 75 percent in favour required from at least 50 percent of the club’s 6,000 members.The ECB are understood to have had promising conversations with investors throughout the summer. A number from India and from further afield, including the US, were entertained at Hundred matches this season. As well as capital, the ECB want buyers to bring their expertise to the table, particularly around global engagement, sporting operations and in-ground experience.While the plan remains to announce investments into the Hundred in early 2025, Banerjee explained that the onus on finding the right price and partner for the teams lends itself to a longer, more drawn-out process.Lord’s-based London Spirit is expected to be the most lucrative team in the Hundred•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“The most important thing is we get the right partners,” Banerjee told the Business of Sport podcast. “If that takes a bit of time, that takes a bit of time. I think it’s fine.”We have been running for four years and so, if in this first round, we [find that] either the values aren’t there for one or all of the teams, or the right partner isn’t there for one or all of the teams, it’s fine. We’ll just carry on running it, we’ll do another year. My priority is to get the eight partners and make them amazing and help us grow.”Banerjee did not rule out a partial sale, whereby only some of the teams are under new ownership, though he believes the scale of interest at this stage suggests that will not come to pass.”I don’t think so, at this point of where we are in the process,” he said. “You know, the amount of people, the amount of interest, the breadth of interest – there’s some really exciting names in there, some of which haven’t been leaked to the press, funnily enough.”London Spirit is expected to be the most sought-after component of the Hundred, given the prestige of its host venue Lord’s, but Banerjee insisted the ECB would not be rushed into a decision for any of its teams.Related

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“But if we don’t get the right partners for [eg] London Spirit, we’ll hold it and we’ll work with the MCC for another year and try again in a year’s time. I think that’s possible.”Having said that, in terms of a timeline on what we’re looking for, we are hoping these are done over the next six months, so that whatever this new world looks like for the competition, those deals have transacted by the 2025 season.”Having all investors on board by next summer is integral to ensuring next summer’s competition is as seamless as possible, not least ahead of the opening of ticket sales and the player draft, which are expected in February and March, respectively. Though a partial sale of teams is far from ideal, the competition’s current media rights – which make up around 80 percent of the revenue for the competition – are fixed until 2028, and the presence of a salary cap should in principle ensure a level playing field for the coming seasons.Banerjee also revealed any expansion of the number of teams in the Hundred is only likely to take place in 2029. Durham and Somerset were two host venues mooted for an introduction as early as next year to give the competition a greater presence in the North-East and South-West. However, the need to see how the Hundred evolves after investment has shifted the goalposts.”We’ve talked about 2029 being the earliest to give us time to bed in and see how this thing grows and there’s a whole set of criteria to make sure a) that the player pool is there so it’s still best versus best on men’s and women’s, and b) the competition has grown.”So an investor today doesn’t lose out, but actually benefits from that, as well as the whole game. And then see that, if a venue wants to come in to be a new team, it’s ready.”

The series will be played from April 27 to May 11 in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2025Sri Lanka will host India and South Africa for a women’s ODI tri-series in April and May, the SLC announced on Thursday. This tri-series was not part of the Future Tours Programme originally.Each team will play the others twice – making it four matches per team – before the top two teams play the final. The series will start with hosts Sri Lanka taking on India. All of them will be day games, played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo from April 27 to May 11.Sri Lanka are currently on a white-ball tour of New Zealand, while most of India’s players are participating in the WPL at home. Some South African players are also at the WPL. Until this tri-series was announced, South Africa’s next international assignment was a tour of the West Indies in June.This tri-series will give the three teams extra prep time in the lead up to the ODI World Cup in October this year in India.Sri Lanka are currently the Asia Cup champions, while South Africa had reached the semi-finals of the last ODI World Cup, in 2022, after knocking India out in the league stages. India are, however, the highest-ranked of the three at third – South Africa are fourth and Sri Lanka seventh – in the ICC ODI rankings.

Sri Lanka women’s tri-series schedule

April 27, Sri Lanka vs India
April 29, India vs South Africa
May 1, Sri Lanka vs South Africa
May 4, Sri Lanka vs India
May 6, South Africa vs India
May 8, Sri Lanka vs South Africa
May 11, final

There was a moment when the allrounder wondered if he would be able to take his side home against New Zealand

Andrew McGlashan06-Sep-2022There was a moment when Cameron Green wondered if he would be able to see Australia’s nervy chase through in Cairns as he cramped up in various places.As they closed in on a target of 233, either side of a brief rain delay, it looked like Green could seize up any second. With runners no longer permitted in international cricket, the boundary swatted by Zampa off Mitchell Santner in the 45th over and the wide that sealed the game were welcome assists.”Definitely,” Green said when asked at the post-match presentation whether he doubted being able to continue. “Couldn’t really walk for a [second] there. Groin, calf, hamstring and forearms. The whole lot was going.”Green came to the crease with Australia on 44 for 5 and he said the scoreline actually freed him up. “There was nothing really to lose, it had got to that stage, so no pressure on us, me and Kez [Alex Carey] can be free and play normally.”Until the body seized up, Green had been in control of almost everything. There was an inside edge early on against Lockie Ferguson which whistled over the stumps and a top-edged hook off the same bowler which Trent Boult couldn’t hold at fine leg. But other than that, he played brilliantly, finishing on an unbeaten and very satisfying 89 off 92 balls.It was the latest in a line of landmark performances since the start of last season in what remains a young international career: Test wickets coming his way after a dry start; emerging from some technical issues against England; scoring runs against reverse swing in Pakistan and spin in Sri Lanka; and a maiden ODI five-wicket haul last week in Townsville.And now, having marshaled an ODI chase, Green is already looking like Australia’s fulcrum going into next year’s World Cup.”We knew we were in a bit of trouble but we also knew there was a lot of time left in the game,” Carey, who shared the crucial 158-run stand with Green, said. “We enjoy batting together, we work really well. He scores pretty freely at the other end and we just bounce off each other nicely.”You saw today that he can come in any time so that’s a great feather in his cap. He’s a really calm character with bat, ball and in the field. Just goes about his business. We know how good he is but [he’s] taking this format [up] another step.”For New Zealand, this was a game that was within their grasp. The last time they won a match of any format in Australia was Boult’s international debut – the famous seven-run win in the Hobart Test of 2011 – and, with the ball, Boult could not have done much more to try and end that run.However, New Zealand may have made a tactical error in not giving Boult one more over in his opening spell which ended after five with Australia 38 for 4. He did not return until the 29th over, by which time Carey and Green had established their partnership.Carey could see both sides of the decision although did say “in hindsight” perhaps he could have been given another over.Boult himself indicated he would have been keen to continue. “I thought of having a sixth, and maybe a seventh or eighth,” he said with a smile. “Not too sure what the thinking was there. But they batted a long way down, think Maxwell at eight is a naughty batting order and we knew they would bat deep. Presume that was the thinking, but credit to the way they stuck at it and got the game done. Good game, but disappointed to be on the wrong side of it.”

Derbyshire’s Alex Thomson continues impressive match to claim maiden ten-wicket haul

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2024Spin continued to dominate proceedings on the second day of the Vitality County Championship match between Glamorgan and Derbyshire in Cardiff.Mason Crane took four wickets on his Glamorgan debut as Derbyshire were bowled out for 198, 39 runs behind on first innings. Wayne Madsen top scored for Derbyshire with 63 but his departure brought about a collapse of five wickets for 33 runs.Alex Thomson was once again the star man with the ball for Derbyshire as he secured his first 10-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Glamorgan had reached 74 for 4 at the close, a lead of 113 with six second innings wickets in hand.With the pitch offering significant assistance to both seam and spin bowlers the destination of this game will depend on how well Glamorgan bat in the first session of day three.Having resumed on 46 for 1, Derbyshire while placed to get past Glamorgan’s total and they started the day with captain David Lloyd reaching fifty from 65 balls against his former county. He was the first wicket to fall on day two when he was trapped lbw by Crane for 60.Harry Came made a patient 25 from 113 balls but he never really found runs easy to come by on a pitch that is slow enough that batters had to take risks to score quickly. He was dismissed by James Harris for the second of his three wickets in Derbyshire’s innings. Harris conceded runs at less than 1.5 an over, conceding just three boundaries, one of which was an edge past the slips as he finished with figures of 3 for 28.As was the case in Glamorgan’s first innings, it was the spinner who was the most consistent threat with Crane starring with the ball on his Glamorgan debut. Figures 4 for 60 was his best return in first-class cricket since his five-wicket haul against Lancashire for Hampshire in 2021.While Crane was a consistent threat, it was the seamers who took the heart out of the Derbyshire batting line-up with Dan Douthwaite and Mir Hamza picking up wickets.While Madsen was at the crease it felt as is Derbyshire could claim a first-innings lead but when he was well caught in the covers by sub fielder Asa Tribe off Douthwaite it began the collapse that prevented Derbyshire eclipsing Glamorgan’s first innings total.Crane was brought back into the attack after a short break and claimed the last three Derbyshire wickets as scoring became increasingly difficult against the aging Kookaburra ball. When the last Derbyshire wicket fell on the stoke of the tea break Glamorgan had secured a 39-run lead.When their second innings got underway the Glamorgan openers once again found Thomson extremely difficult to face. Having claimed career-best figures of 7 for 65 in the first innings he opened the bowling and had two wickets in two balls. Both Zain-ul-Hassan and Sam Northeast were dismissed lbw, the latter for a golden duck.Thomson claimed his 10th wicket of the match when he bowled Kiran Carlson for 11 before Sam Conners bowled Billy Root for 32 to put this game into the balance heading into the third day.

Veteran allrounder vacates role after six seasons in charge

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2023Steven Mullaney has announced his decision to step down as club captain of Nottinghamshire after six years in the role.Mullaney, 36, was in charge when Notts won promotion to Division One last year, and oversaw a sixth place finish on their return to the top tier – although his returns with the bat this season were limited to 485 runs from 12 matches, with one half-century.”I’m honoured, proud and privileged to have had this opportunity,” he said. “My main aim in the job was to make a difference – and while the big goal was to win Division One, and we weren’t quite able to do that, I’m proud of the foundations we’ve been able to put down for us to challenge in the next few years.”As captain, I wanted to have an influence on the culture at the club, and the way we went about things. It took us a couple of years, and we had to have some tough conversations along the way, but I really think we got somewhere.”I’ve put my heart and soul into this job, but I think it’s time for someone else to enjoy the ride. Whoever that is, they’ll have my complete support.”Mullaney took over as captain of Nottinghamshire’s Championship and One-Day Cup teams after the retirement of Chris Read in 2017, before picking up responsibility for the T20 side following Dan Christian’s departure. His involvement with Trent Rockets in the Hundred curtailed Mullaney’s time as 50-over captain, with the job going to Haseeb Hameed – a likely candidate for the red-ball leadership – in 2022.The veteran allrounder, who joined Nottinghamshire in 2010, still has a year left on his most-recent contract with the club and can expect to be a sounding board for whoever succeeds him.”Firstly I’d like to say a huge well done to Steve on his six years as captain,” Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, said. “He took over at a time when we needed to rebuild, having lost several senior players the year before, and when we needed to find a new direction as a group.”He led us superbly through that period, and made sure the players never lost sight of their goals by staying consistent with the messages he got across to them.”Our results in red-ball cricket in recent years, and our retaining of first-division status this summer, are testament to the improvements he helped to bring about. The squad is definitely in a better place now than when he took over, which is ultimately the goal of any captain.”It feels like an exciting time for someone to take over, and I know Steve will be the first to offer his support, with that same goal of bringing further success to the club.”

He also hoped Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran would get called up to the Test squad in the future

PTI29-Jun-2023Sourav Ganguly cannot understand the process behind Ajinkya Rahane getting the Test vice-captaincy after spending nearly 18 months on the sidelines. The former India captain has called for “consistency and continuity” in the selection process.Rahane, 35, was out of favour for one-and-a-half years but was India’s best batter in the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month, with scores of 89 and 46 at The Oval.Related

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Just one Test after he had made a comeback – he played his previous Test in January 2022 – the national selection committee headed by interim chief Shiv Sunder Das re-appointed Rahane as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the West Indies Test series.So was it not ideal to groom someone like Shubman Gill for the role?”Yeah I think so,” Ganguly told during an exclusive interaction from London.Ganguly suggested that the allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, a certainty in India’s Test XI both home and away, could have been considered for the role.”I won’t say it’s a step backward,” Ganguly said. “You have been out for 18 months, then you play a Test and you become a vice-captain. I don’t understand the thought process behind it. There is Ravindra Jadeja, who has been there for a long time and a certainty in Test matches, he is a candidate.”… but to just come back and straightway become vice-captain after 18 months, I don’t understand. My only thing is that selection shouldn’t be hot and cold. There has to be continuity and consistency in selection.”The Indian selectors have hit the transition button by excluding Cheteshwar Pujara from the squad for the West Indies tour. Ganguly wants the selectors to have clear communication with Pujara, who has played 103 Tests for India, about his future.”Selectors should have a clear idea about him [Pujara],” Ganguly said. “Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters, and communicate it to him. Somebody like Pujara can’t be dropped, then picked, dropped again and then picked. Same with Ajinkya Rahane also.”Ganguly feels Yashasvi Jaiswal has proven himself not just in the IPL but in first-class cricket as well•Bangladesh Cricket Board

‘I feel for Sarfaraz Khan’

The selections of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the West Indies tour suggests the selectors have emphasised IPL performances over those in domestic cricket, but Ganguly doesn’t believe this is the case. He hopes, however that Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who have been prolific in the Ranji Trophy over recent seasons, will get their chance too.”I think Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored tons of runs in Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy. I think that’s why he is in the squad,” Ganguly said. “I feel for Sarfaraz Khan. At some point he should get an opportunity for the amount of runs that he has scored in past three years.”And same thing for Abhimanyu Easwaran for the tons of runs he has scored in last five to six years. I am surprised that both of them have been omitted but they should get a chance in future. But Yashasvi Jasiwal is a good selection.”Ganguly has observed Sarfaraz from close quarters as director of cricket at Delhi Capitals. He rubbished the idea that Sarfaraz has a weakness against fast bowling.”If you don’t play him against fast bowling, how do you know?” he asked. “If he had problems he wouldn’t have scored so many runs all around [India]. I personally feel he has no problems against fast bowling and he should be given an opportunity.”

Gloucestershire and Derbyshire share spoils in rain-ruined contest at Bristol

ECB Reporters Network27-May-2024Beau Webster completed a Gloucestershire home debut to remember before the rain-ruined Vitality County Championship Division Two match with Derbyshire at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol petered out into a predictable draw.The Australian all-rounder, recruited primarily for T20 cricket, followed up his six-wicket haul in Derbyshire’s first innings of 526 by smashing 76 off just 79 balls as Gloucestershire extended their reply from an overnight 399 for four to 530 all out, Zak Chappell claiming five for 58.James Bracey was dismissed for 144 and Graeme van Buuren 187 after extending their record-breaking fifth-wicket stand to 277. But too much time had been lost to the weather and the players shook hands at 4.53pm when Derbyshire declared their second innings on 166 for four, with a lead of 162.Brooke Guest contributed 57, his second half-century of the match. The visitors took 15 points from the game and Gloucestershire 14.Only 21 overs had been bowled on day three because of rain and a draw looked the only likely outcome when play began with Gloucestershire 127 runs adrift of Derbyshire’s first innings total. The first ball of the day from Anuj Dal brought a van Buuren boundary and a fourth batting bonus point for the hosts.Five more runs had been added when the marathon stand between Bracey and van Buuren, who had resumed on 137 and 156 respectively, was finally broken, Bracey looking aghast as the ball trickled onto his stumps and dislodged the bails as he attempted to sweep off-spinner Alex Thomson.Bracey had faced 190 balls and hit 20 fours and a six. The stand with van Buuren occupied 52.2 overs and bettered by 16 the previous Gloucestershire record fifth-wicket partnership of 261, put together by W.G.Grace and William Moberly against Yorkshire at Cheltenham 148 years ago.Webster soon attacked with two fours in an over off Dal before a van Buuren single off Thomson brought Gloucestershire their fifth batting point. The skipper’s 236-ball knock, featuring 23 fours and three sixes, ended with the total on 475 when he drove at a good length ball from Sam Conners and edged to slip.An unexpected clatter of wickets followed as Ed Middleton was caught behind fencing at Chappell, who followed up by removing Matt Taylor and Marchant de Lange with successive balls, the former caught at fine leg off a glance he timed too well and the latter lbw to a toe-crushing yorker.Chappell was denied a hat-trick when his next delivery, also very full, crashed into Ajeet Singh Dale’s pads, but was rightly ruled to be missing leg stump. Gloucestershire’s number eleven went on to share a stand of 43 with Webster, who moved confidently to a run-a-ball fifty, celebrating with a big six over mid-wicket and into the car park off Conners.The tall Aussie was last man out, skying a catch to long-off to give Daryn Dupavillon a wicket, having struck eight fours and three sixes. Chappell’s figures were outstanding, but Derbyshire were left to reflect on taking only two bowling points, having wasted the second new ball on day three, and Gloucestershire’s slender lead of four runs offered little hope of a decisive result.Only a clatter of Derbyshire second innings wickets could change that. It seemed even less likely when Marchant de Lange’s opening over with the new ball went for 14.There was a glimmer of light for Gloucestershire when de Lange bowled Luis Reece off an inside edge for seven with the total on 25. But skipper David Lloyd cruised to 49, with eight fours, before edging leg-spinner Middleton through to wicketkeeper Bracey.In bright afternoon sunshine, the cricket became soporific as Guest and Wayne Madsen steadily accumulated against slow bowlers Middleton and Ollie Price without the runs counting for much. By tea, Derbyshire had moved to 129 for two and led by 125, Guest having just reached his fifty off 100 balls, with seven fours.The abridged final session saw Madsen caught behind for 30 trying to reverse sweep Middleton and Guest snapped up at short-leg off Price after the pair had added 70 for the third wicket.

India captain Shubman Gill was visibly upset with the ball they were given by the umpires after the second new ball had to be changed in the first hour

Sidharth Monga11-Jul-20255:19

Kumble: There can’t be so many ball changes in a Test

The Dukes balls were at the centre of attention once again as India were unhappy with the replacement ball for the second new ball, incredibly just 10.3 overs into its life on the second morning of the Lord’s Test.The difference in results was stark. Jasprit Bumrah had wreaked havoc with the original ball, taking three wickets in his first 14 deliveries, but India went the rest of the first session without another wicket despite bowling to England’s Nos. 7 and 9. After plenty of remonstrations the ball was changed once again, 48 balls after the first ball change.The second new ball, which went out of shape in just 10.3 overs and didn’t pass through any of the rings on the gauge, had swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. The replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees an average and seamed 0.594 degrees. More than the data perhaps it was the softness and the age of the ball that irked India.Bumrah said he didn’t want to invite sanctions but also later said he didn’t remember having to ever get the ball changed on his previous two tours of England.Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has been a critic of the balls used in England since 2020, said on the broadcast that the replacement ball looked like it was 18-20 overs old. He also expressed his displeasure on X.”The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper. Barely noticed,” Broad wrote on X. “We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue & being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. Feels like it’s been five years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it. A ball should last 80 overs. Not 10.”Former England captain Nasser Hussain said there was a “serious issue with the Dukes ball” but felt they were also changed “too often” as players search for the perfect ball.”The first thing is that there’s a serious issue with the Dukes ball,” Hussain said on . “Both captains talked about it before the game. We’ve seen it in this game: in this session, it’s been changed twice. We’ve seen it in the last few years, really, the Dukes ball going out of shape.”The second point at play here is that I think the ball is changed too often. I think we’re getting a bit precious about cricket balls. In the history of the game, the cricket ball gets old, and the cricket ball gets soft. I think we’re getting a bit addicted to having the perfect cricket ball for 80 overs.”The third thing at play is that they got through in that first hour and Bumrah was unplayable … I looked up from my laptop at the back of comms box and went, ‘They’re changing the ball: why would you change the ball that is doing something to a random box of balls?’ You know nothing about that, you know everything about this … I get why they’re getting upset – it did look older, it did look softer — but why change? Why take the gamble? I thought that was a real bizarre thing to do when you’ve got something, especially in this time when the Dukes ball is so all over the place, when you’ve got something, stick to it. They didn’t.”The Dukes ball has been in the eye of a storm since 2020 as it has been going out of shape and soft too soon. The ECB’s decision to introduce Kookaburra balls for four rounds of County Championship matches has also brought the Dukes ball in focus.This series has featured regular complaints from the fielding captain – starting as early as the first session of a Test – and regular ball changes around the 43rd over. During this series, a combination of pitches and the balls has resulted in dramatic results. Wickets have come at an average of 86.09 between overs 31 to 80, the highest average in England since we have maintained ball-by-ball records. It is also marginally the third highest in all Test series we have ball-by-ball-records for, overwhelmingly behind Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan in 2008-09 and trailing Zimbabwe’s tour of New Zealand in 2000-01 by just 0.57.

Former Australia seamer will be available for Championship and Blast fixtures until end of July

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2023Peter Siddle will return to Somerset for another county stint in 2023.Siddle, the 38-year-old Australian fast bowler, will be available from the start of the LV= Insurance County Championship season in early April through to the end of July. During that time he will also be available for Somerset’s Vitality Blast campaign.Last year, Siddle claimed 27 first-class wickets for Somerset at an average 23.92 with a best of 6 for 51 against Surrey. He also impressed with the white ball, taking 17 wickets in the Blast at an average of 17.88, including a best of 3 for 10.A vastly experienced former Australian international who claimed 221 wickets in 67 Tests, Siddle also played a mentoring role to Somerset’s young bowlers last season.”I loved my time at Somerset last summer and when the opportunity to go back came about there was never any doubt that I would take it,” Siddle said. “It’s a great club with great people and the members and supporters are outstanding.Related

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“I was made to feel like a part of the family as soon as I arrived and I’m looking forward to joining up with the boys again in a few months’ time. Hopefully, I can contribute to Somerset having a big summer in 2023.”Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, described Siddle as “phenomenal for us on and off the field last year”.”His contributions on the pitch and in the dressing room were of the very highest order,” Hurry added. “He is a proven winner who will contribute significantly on the field, and with his vast experience will also play a huge role in the development of our aspiring bowlers.”During his time with us previously, he established an excellent rapport with his team-mates, the coaches, our staff and our members. He will be a valuable addition to our squad this summer and we look forward to welcoming him back to do what he does best in a Somerset shirt in 2023.”Somerset became Siddle’s fourth county team when he joined them as an all-format overseas player last year following previous spells with Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Essex.