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George Garton, David Payne, Phil Salt named in England T20I squad for West Indies

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Uncapped trio set to win opportunities in absence of players involved on Ashes tour

Matt Roller23-Dec-2021England could hand T20I debuts to George Garton, David Payne and Phil Salt against West Indies in January but have stuck with the core of the squad that was knocked out in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.The five-match series is due to start in Barbados four days after the final day of England’s fifth Test against Australia, and members of the Ashes squad were not considered for selection. Several seamers including Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Sam and Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Olly Stone and David Willey were also unavailable due to injuries, putting England’s fast-bowling depth to the test.Eleven of the 16-man squad – including Eoin Morgan, who continues as captain as expected despite a poor year with the bat – were in the UAE for the World Cup in October and November, either as squad members or travelling reserves. This series signals the start of England’s preparations for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, with six T20Is following in July (three each against India and South Africa) before seven in Pakistan in September-October and three more in Australia in the immediate build-up to the tournament.The five additions to the World Cup touring party – Garton, Payne, Salt, Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood – have all featured in England squads over the last two years. Mahmood, Payne and Salt were part of the hastily assembled ODI squad that beat Pakistan 3-0 after a Covid outbreak in July, with Banton and Garton among those forced into self-isolation.In the absence of Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow due to their involvement in the Ashes, England will field a new-look top order. Salt has earned his call-up after an impressive winter on the franchise circuit – he was the second-highest run-scorer at the Abu Dhabi T10 and led the Lanka Premier League’s run charts heading into the final – and is likely to win opportunities to impress on the island where he lived for six years while growing up.Banton’s recall comes as a surprise after a lean period for him. He has struggled for form over the last 18 months, averaging 17.02 with a strike rate of 136.32 since the start of the Pakistan Super League in 2020, but England have stuck to their belief that he is a batter with a high ceiling. He was preferred to other promising young batters like Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.There are four left-arm seamers in the squad despite injuries to Sam Curran and Willey, with Garton, Tymal Mills, Payne and Reece Topley all included. Garton has been on England’s radar for a number of years and has earned contracts with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Adelaide Strikers in recent months, while Payne has impressed with his pace and bounce and has taken regular new-ball wickets for Gloucestershire in the Blast.Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner, is the surprise omission, with Liam Dawson – who is seen by England as a more versatile bowler and offers more with the bat and in the field – again preferred as the back-up spin option. Parkinson is understood to have been placed on standby as a reserve.Related

  • Garton set for another wild ride with RCB in rollercoaster career

  • Salt, Banton show off their credentials at Abu Dhabi T10

  • Mahmood not thinking of Ashes as BBL debut looms

  • Collingwood to stand in as England head coach during WI T20Is

Six players in the squad – Sam Billings, Garton, Mahmood, Mills, Topley and James Vince – have full-season deals in the ongoing Big Bash League. Their inclusion in this squad means that they will miss the knockout stages of the competition, should their respective teams qualify. Seven more – Jordan, Livingstone, Mahmood, Jason Roy, Salt, Topley and Vince – will miss the opening rounds of the PSL.As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, Paul Collingwood will stand in as head coach, with Marcus Trescothick acting as his assistant coach. The ECB has also advertised for three roles as “support coaches” for the tour – one fast-bowling, one fielding/wicketkeeping, one batting.”We have selected a strong squad with some serious batting power and a balanced attack as we begin preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia,” Collingwood said. “The World Cup is less than a year away and there will be increased opportunities for the squad in the absence of those players who are with the Ashes squad.”I have good memories winning a World Cup in Barbados and I’m really looking forward to going back there with this squad to face a very good West Indies who will test all aspects of our skills.”England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince

Sloppy but unbeaten India storm into Asia Cup final

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India will face the winner of Thursday’s clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan, while Sri Lanka are out of contention now

Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Sep-20251:20

Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek

India are in the final of Asia Cup 2025, where they will meet the winner of Thursday’s Super Fours clash between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Sri Lanka are out of contention, and their game against India on Friday is now a dead rubber.India sealed their place in the final with a 41-run win over Bangladesh that was, for the victors, both comfortable and discomfiting. Bangladesh never really looked in contention at any point during their chase of 169, with their limitations as a T20 side exposed by the depth and variety of India’s bowling. But they would feel they should have made a much better fist of that target, after their bowlers had done brilliantly to haul India back when Abhishek Sharma had seemingly put them on course for 200 and beyond.Related

  • The relentlessness of Abhishek and the ruthlessness of Bumrah

  • Aaron: 'Axar ahead of Samson? I do not understand it'

  • Abhishek Sharma is on his way to becoming an elite six-hitter

  • Shaheen Afridi brushes off criticism as Pakistan eye Asia Cup final

Abhishek continued his magnificent tournament, following up his 39-ball 74 against Pakistan with a 37-ball 75, but India struggled when he wasn’t at the crease.Their innings followed a pattern not unlike Pakistan’s against their bowlers on Sunday: a strong start followed by a dramatic slowdown when the ball became older and harder to time. India scored 95 runs in overs 3-11, when Abhishek ran rampant, and just 73 runs in the 12 overs either side of that stretch.In the end, Abhishek’s innings proved the difference between the teams. Bangladesh didn’t have anyone in their line-up with that level of relentless boundary-hitting ability, even if Saif Hassan showed the promise in their ranks, hitting five sixes in a 51-ball 69.

Bangladesh begin brightly

Bangladesh could have dismissed Abhishek for 7 off 8 in the third over, had the wicketkeeper held on to an edge off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who came into an XI with as many as four changes, and bowled brilliantly with the new ball, swinging it prodigiously while also hitting the deck hard.The wicketkeeper who shelled that chance – and Bangladesh’s captain on the night – was Jaker Ali, standing in for Litton Das who was ruled out with a side strain.That moment ended the first chapter of this match, which Bangladesh dominated without quite being able to separate Abhishek and Shubman Gill. Tanzim had beaten Gill’s bat twice in the first over, and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed had used his swinging arm ball cleverly to take the ball away from Abhishek’s hitting arc in the second. By the end of the third over, India were still going at less than a run a ball.

Abhishek and Gill take over

Gill began the counterattack by stepping out to the first two balls of the fourth over and hitting Nasum for four and six. That began a torrent of boundary-hitting that Bangladesh seemed powerless to stop. Abhishek looked unstoppable once he got to grips with the conditions, hitting Mustafizur Rahman for two sixes in the fifth over, peppering the off-side boundary with four fours off Mohammad Saifuddin in the sixth, and carrying on in similar vein beyond the powerplay.In all, Abhishek hit five sixes and jumped to joint No. 7 on India’s all-time T20I six-hitting charts. He has now hit 58 sixes in just 21 innings; Suresh Raina, with whom he drew level, hit 58 in 66 innings.2:57

Chopra questions India’s batting order logic

Experimental India slow down

India were 112 for 2 at the start of the 12th over, and Bangladesh seemed powerless to stop Abhishek. But they did, via a run out manufactured by Rishad Hossain’s brilliance at backward point. He dived to his left to stop a dab from Suryakumar Yadav and sprang up, ready to throw in one motion, leaving Abhishek with little chance of regaining his ground at the non-striker’s end.That moment changed the complexion of the game, exposing India’s middle order to an issue that has troubled every line-up in these conditions in the UAE – the difficulty of starting innings against the old ball. Bangladesh’s bowlers did their bit too, with Mustafizur, Tanzim and Saifuddin finding plenty of purchase with their slower cutters and with Nasum varying his pace cleverly, and India only scored 56 runs across their last nine overs. Hardik Pandya, who was out off the last ball of the innings for 38 off 29, did the bulk of the scoring.India’s slide looked worse for coming against the backdrop of batting-order changes that didn’t come off on the day. India promoted Shivam Dube to No. 3, and sent in Hardik, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel above Sanju Samson, who did not get to bat at all.Handshakes all around after India completed an easy win•AFP/Getty Images

Saif wages lone fight as Bangladesh fade away

Bangladesh seemed in with a real chance at the halfway mark, but the required rate kept slipping further and further away from their reach. Jasprit Bumrah, once again bowling three overs in the powerplay, struck in his first over, and looked close to unhittable with the new ball, finding prodigious swing and at one stage beating Parvez Hossain Emon’s bat six times in eight balls.And then, just as Emon had seemed to shrug off that early struggle with a six off Bumrah and a pair of swept fours off Varun Chakravarthy, he fell while miscuing a slog-sweep in Kuldeep Yadav’s first over, the seventh of the innings.Then it became a game of two ends. At one end, Saif showed off his hitting range, particularly off Axar whom he hit for three sixes. At the other, batters came and went, with Jaker’s run-out dismissal in the 13th over, while trying to steal a quick single to get Saif to his fifty, effectively bringing Bangladesh’s challenge to an end.All that remained was for Kuldeep to pull off his customary two-wickets-in-two-balls trick, for India’s fielders to shell a series of catches to extend Saif’s innings into the 18th over, for Bumrah to come back and pick up a second wicket, and finally for part-timer Tilak to roll his arm over and end the match with three balls to spare.

Steven Mullaney relinquishes Notts captaincy

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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.”

Glenn Maxwell's all-round show sets up Lancashire to top North Group

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Australia allrounder finishes off chase as Lancashire secure win in front of 15,000 at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2019Despite some persistent rain the good times rolled at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday evening when 15,196 spectators, a new ground record for a non-Roses T20 game, saw Lancashire Lightning defeat Leicestershire Foxes by five wickets, thereby securing top spot in the North Group.Needing 143 to win, the home side got home with eight balls to spare, thanks largely to a well-judged innings by Glenn Maxwell, who added an unbeaten 29 off 31 balls to the wicket, catch and run-out he had collected in the first innings of the game. Maxwell partnered Keaton Jennings in the unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 22 which helped Lancashire to their eighth T20 win of this season’s campaign.Earlier in the evening, the Foxes innings had got off to a fine start as the Lightning seamers fed Mark Cosgrove the leg-side diet he craves and the Australian opener helped himself to 39 runs off 19 balls before being bowled by Steven Croft. Arron Lilley then cut his first ball to Josh Bohannon at cover point but the only result of this fine stroke was that Harry Swindells was run out by half the length of the pitch for 4 after a dreadful mix-up with Lilley.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nevertheless, Leicestershire were 52 for 2 after their Powerplay and the following four overs were all bowled by spinners. The next blow of consequence was struck by Matt Parkinson who had Colin Ackermann caught at backward point by James Faulkner for 21 when the Foxes captain was attempting a reverse sweep and the visitors reached the midpoint of their innings modestly placed on 77 for 3.Lilley gradually warmed to his task on his former home ground, ramping Richard Gleeson for four and smacking Parkinson over long-off for six but when he had made 28 the former Lancashire allrounder pulled James Faulkner straight to Maxwell at deep midwicket.The remainder of the Foxes innings was something of an anti-climax as the home spinners strangled the scoring rate and three more batsmen were run out. Harry Dearden’s 24 was the only score above 20 and after Cosgrove had found the boundary seven times in 19 balls, his colleagues struck only six fours in the rest of the innings. Parkinson took the bowling honours with 2 for 24 while Maxwell finished with one for 22.Lancashire’s pursuit of 143 began well as Liam Livingstone and Alex Davies put on 54 in 5.1 overs, both openers hitting sixes before Lilley held on to a steepler off Ben Mike to get rid of Livingstone for 28. Steven Croft followed soon after, caught at cover off Callum Parkinson for five, but Davies continued to take heavy toll of Dieter Klein, hitting the South African for a second six before he was bowled for 39 when attempting to cut Parkinson.Lancashire skipper Dane Vilas was dismissed for 6 when he carelessly pulled Will Davis to deep square leg but Maxwell and Faulkner looked to be taking Lancashire home before Faulkner was leg before wicket to Lilley for 11. However, Maxwell and Jennings settled things with some well-judged strokes on a damp Mancunian evening.

PCB chairman slams Rawalpindi pitch as 'embarrassing' as bowlers toil in Test

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Ramiz Raja warns that the country is paying price for lengthy exile from international cricket

Danyal Rasool02-Dec-2022The Rawalpindi pitch on which England racked up a world-record 506 runs on the first day of the first Test was “embarrassing”, according to PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. Terming Pakistan as living in “the dark ages of pitch preparation” owing to a decade-long hiatus of Test cricket in the country, Ramiz said it would take at least another season for the quality of pitches to begin improving.”It is embarrassing for us, especially when you have a cricketer as chairman,” Ramiz said, speaking to media during the lunch break on the second day of the Test. “This is not a good advert for cricket. We’re a better cricketing nation than this.”The quality of Test match pitches has become a point of intense scrutiny, effectively since the day Ramiz took over as chairman last year when he promised to bring drop-in pitches to Pakistan. While such talk has continued apace in the past 15 months, tangible progress on the subject has been non-existent, with Ramiz decrying the costs of having them shipped from abroad as prohibitive.”Ultimately, the only situation is a drop-in pitch. Which is extremely expensive if we’re bringing it from abroad. Instead, we’re developing soil here for drop-in pitches. That way, we can prepare square turners or bouncy wickets depending on what we want.”This is not an issue of not leaving grass on the pitch. The grass looks good from the point of view of optics. We need to create bounce, which can happen without grass, as happens on Australian pitches. They don’t leave lots of grass on the pitch. We get different pitches in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.”We have the same pitches because we get the same kind of soil. We’ve tried to bring a curator from abroad; we needed to bring a curator from Australia for the Lahore Test, because the situation had got out of hand. When I want a spinning pitch, we don’t get that either, so it ends up being half and half. We don’t want that.”While Ramiz implied there were structural issues undermining pitch preparation in Pakistan, there had been relatively little controversy about the quality of the surfaces for Test series until Australia’s visit to Rawalpindi in March. The pitch for that match produced 14 wickets in five days, and was awarded a poor rating and docked a demerit point by the ICC.Pindi was recently regarded as Pakistan’s spiciest Test pitch, the one that offered the most assistance to the bowlers. When South Africa visited in January 2021, the Test in Rawalpindi was something of a classic, with all four innings producing scores between 200 and 300, leading to a thrilling climax on day five.Eighteen of South Africa’s 20 wickets fell to Pakistani pace bowlers, an advantage that Ramiz acknowledged Pakistan needed to capitalise on. Even the surface in Karachi at the time produced an absorbing contest, with Pakistan triumphing by seven wickets on the final day.Related

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  • Why does Ramiz Raja think Pakistan have a problem with their pitches?

  • Pakistan and the consequences of fixing what wasn't broken

Ramiz’s repeated talk of overhauling pitches in Pakistan has led to criticism that the PCB chairman is micromanaging their preparation. That speculation isn’t completely unwarranted, either, with Ramiz flying in Toby Lumsden, a former curator at the MCG, to help with the Gaddafi Stadium surface ahead of the third Test against Australia.Ramiz, however, insisted he did not interfere in the preparation of individual Test match pitches. “The board doesn’t direct how pitches are made. I’ve left this to the thinktank. We look at our strengths and then the pitch and then make selections. I try and limit my involvement because otherwise I can’t hold people accountable. For accountability you have to cede control. I aim to create a pitch that ends up defining our tactics so a template is set.”We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan. They aren’t exposed in T20 and 50 overs but they are in Test cricket. We lived in an apartheid situation where teams didn’t come here. Pakistan players had played 70 Tests without playing here. It’s an achievement that we managed to stay afloat. We’ve tried everything, bringing in a curator from abroad. Pitches are the lifeblood of cricket in a country, but having said that, I’ve never seen batting like England’s on Day 1 either.”Pakistan were untroubled in their own first innings, when England were finally dismissed for 657, if not quite as explosive. With little seam movement or variable bounce, Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq eased to an unbeaten 150-run stand. In the Rawalpindi Test against Australia in March, the same pair put on an undefeated 252 for the opening partnership on the fifth day.Ramiz, however, warned there would be little immediate improvement to that situation. “This will improve by next season. Unfortunately we’ll see the same kinds of pitches for the New Zealand series.”

Peter Handscomb's superb century defies South Australia

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Brendan Doggett took four wickets but it was not enough to force victory

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2022South Australia 357 (Drew 130, Weatherald 122, Perry 4-57, Boland 4-61) and 213 (Hunt 57) drew with Victoria 264 (Maddinson 82, Harris 58, Pucovski 54) and 6 for 236 (Handscomb 148*, Doggett 4-51)Victoria captain Peter Handscomb produced a magnificent century to earn his team a draw in Adelaide on a day dominated by the concerning news of another concussion suffered by Will Pucovski.South Australia pushed hard for their first win of the season and when Victoria were 3 for 49 they had a good chance. Later in the day they removed Matthew Short and Travis Dean, Pucovski’s concussion sub, in quick succession to leave Victoria five down with more than 30 overs remaining but they could not find a way past Handscomb who faced 280 balls. Legspinner Lloyd Pope went wicketless through 24 overs.Sam Harper played his part in a stand with Handscomb that spanned 21 overs and when he was lbw to the impressive Brendan Doggett, Will Sutherland stayed with his captain through to the close although there were some nervy near misses with edges into the slips.Doggett was the standout performer for South Australia on the final day and made the first breakthrough when Nic Maddinson, opening in place of Pucovski, edged behind and when Marcus Harris flashed a drive into the slips in the next over Victoria were 2 for 7.Handscomb and Jonathan Merlo built a stand that lasted 24 overs – Victoria were never a realistic chance of the chance after the early wickets – before Merlo edged Doggett.Short’s innings was ended when he was sharply caught by substitute Ryan Gibson at second slip, who was standing so close he wore a helmet, which revived South Australia early in the final session. They were further boosted when Doggett pinned Dean with a reverse-swinging yorker which the umpire ruled struck pad before bat.Handscomb brought up his century from 212 balls at which point he had 100 of Victoria’s 149 runs. There was chance it would still not be enough, but he found the required support to maintain the team’s unbeaten Sheffield Shield season.

Five wickets in an over: Abhimanyu Mithun's unreal T20 record

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His maiden List A hat-trick came in the Vijay Hazare final; a month on, he has a T20 hat-trick too

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Nov-2019Abhimanyu Mithun is having a domestic season to remember. First, he picked up a birthday hat-trick and a maiden List A five-wicket haul in Karnataka’s win over Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final last month. On Friday, he not only picked up another hat-trick but became perhaps only the second bowler to pick five wickets in one over in T20 history. From the time ESPNcricinfo has been gathering ball-by-ball data, only Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain has managed to knock over so many batsmen in a single over.Mithun’s 5 for 39 came in the semi-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – the domestic T20 competition – against Haryana in Surat. Coming into his fourth over after conceding 18 off his third – the most expensive over of the innings – Mithun’s strikes prevented Haryana from going past the 200-run mark.Before Mithun started the over, Haryana were rampant at 192 for 3, with Himanshu Rana and Rahul Tewatia having stitched together a robust partnership. Between overs 15 and 19, Haryana had scored 57 runs, and a 200-plus score was very much on the cards. But Mithun had plans up his sleeve – slow the pace down. And it worked.Rana, who had blasted his second fifty in the tournament, his highest in the format, mistimed a pull straight into the hands of Mayank Agarwal at deep midwicket. Tewatia then holed out to wide long-on. Mithun then achieved his maiden hat-trick in the format after Sumit Kumar failed to read a slower one and scooped it straight to the fielder behind square leg.Off the next delivery, he bowled a knuckle ball that Amit Mishra mistimed to cover to make it four in four. A back-of-the-hand slower delivery, which Jayant Yadav did not read, was easily pouched by KL Rahul behind the wicket off the last ball to complete the haul.

ECB announce low ticket prices for Hundred in hope of attendance boost

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Majority of tickets priced under £30 amid concerns over sales at certain venues

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2020The ECB have announced that the majority of adult tickets for the Hundred will be priced at £30 or less in an attempt to boost attendances, with under-16s tickets available at £5 each and children under five admitted for free.While there is some level of discrepancy depending on venue and timing, the competition’s managing director Sanjay Patel stressed that the ECB had “put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred”, with some tickets cheaper for the new tournament than for Vitality Blast games at the same venues.ALSO READ: ECB deny downplaying Blast amid fears for Hundred’s ticket salesDespite many of them voicing concerns about the competition and its perceived implications for their clubs, county members will have first access to tickets in a pre-sale window from January 15-31. That is followed by a priority window for fans who have registered interest in the competition on its website from February 12-28, while general sale begins on April 8.The ECB’s chairman Colin Graves suggested last month that an occupancy rate of 60-65 percent was the minimum standard, and that “if we get above that it will be a success”.And while there are unlikely to be many problems selling out Lord’s or The Oval, games at the Ageas Bowl and Cardiff could prove to be a harder sell.To use Cardiff as an example, Glamorgan’s total attendance in the Vitality Blast last summer was 31,266 across seven home games, giving an average crowd of 4,467 at a 16,000-seater venue. The county stressed that poor weather and clashes with other sporting fixtures in the city had affected their crowds, but with two of Welsh Fire’s home games scheduled for Sunday evenings and another on a Tuesday, it could be equally tough to shift tickets for those games.ESPNcricinfo revealed in October that some grounds fear the decision to stage games on every day of the week will create challenges for ticket sales, with games on Monday and Tuesday evenings expected to be a hard sell. Next year’s T20 Blast, by contrast, sees a majority of fixtures scheduled on Thursday and Friday nights or on weekend afternoons.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tickets for the women’s competition start at £8, with a top early-bird price of £18, while tickets for the men’s tournament range from £10-35 at their initial price. For men’s and women’s finals day, which will be held at Lord’s and Hove, tickets will be available from £30 and £12 respectively.”We can’t wait to welcome cricket fans and those new to the sport to the opening season of the Hundred to see England’s World Cup heroes Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight play,” Patel said.”We have put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred. When compared with summer holiday favourites and other major sporting events, the Hundred offers brilliant entertainment and tremendous value. Buying early will guarantee the best value tickets with compelling prices available across all men’s and women’s matches.”

BBL draft preview: availability key amid international and league clashes

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The BBL season has been shortened but there will still be a squeeze on many of the leading names

Alex Malcolm01-Sep-2023

Adelaide Strikers

Current list: Wes Agar, James Bazley, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Ben Manenti, D’Arcy Short, Matt Short, Henry ThorntonLast playing XI: Matt Short, Travis Head (capt), Alex Carey (wk), Adam Hose, Colin de Grandhomme, Ryan Gibson, Harry Nielsen, Cameron Boyce, Wes Agar, Harry Conway, Peter SiddleLast season’s overseas/retention options: Rashid Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam HoseDraft picks: 2, 10, 23, and 26What might they want?
Strikers are almost certain to take long-time favourite Rashid Khan with pick 2 to the point where they inquired with other clubs about a possible pick trade, knowing they would use the retention on him. Beyond that, there are some clear needs for Strikers. Quality top and middle-order batting is their main target given Travis Head and Alex Carey are set to be unavailable for almost the whole season. A middle-order player who can bowl seam up would be ideal although given they will get overs out of both Matt Short and D’Arcy Short it is not critical.Their domestic attack is reasonably well-balanced and has been set up to try and withstand Rashid not being available for the back end of the tournament due to his SA20 commitments. He looks set to only be available for the first seven games. But they will want more availability in their other picks and then to find a replacement for Rashid post-draft. Adam Hose and Colin de Grandhomme are both available again and showed glimpses at times last year, but they ultimately did not provide the run-scoring output needed to help Strikers reach finals. There may be others in the gold, silver or bronze band with full availability who could be of value.

Brisbane Heat

Current list: Usman Khawaja, Xavier Bartlett, Josh Brown, Max Bryant, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Will Prestwidge, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell SwepsonLast playing XI: Josh Brown, Sam Heazlett, Nathan McSweeney, Jimmy Peirson (capt), Sam Hain, Max Bryant, James Bazley, Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Matthew KuhnemannLast season’s overseas/retention options: Sam Hain, Colin Munro, Sam Billings, Ross Whiteley, Tom BantonDraft picks: 7, 15, 18, and 31What might they want?
Like Strikers, last year’s finalists have a very clear need for top and middle-order batters given they have a very strong home-grown attack that took them all the way to the final. They are set to be without Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne all season due to Test duty. At pick 7 they may need to use the retention options available to them if they want Sam Billings or Colin Munro. But both are only available for six to nine games which may not suit Heat. They would prefer longer availability in a platinum pick and the only player to fit that criteria who is not a retention player is Tom Kohler-Cadmore.Tom Banton is a non-platinum option who can be retained after playing for them previously but he is headed to the SA20 which reduces his availability to just six to nine games. They will likely target two batters with a preference for those who can handle the bounce and pace of the Gabba. Further down in the third or fourth round they may look for a power-hitting allrounder. They had Ross Whiteley last year and he is available for the whole season plus finals. They have lost local James Bazley to Strikers. An allrounder would deepen the batting and give them the option of playing their two local spinners.Harry Brook could still get interest despite his other commitments•Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes

Current list: Iain Carlisle, Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Peter Hatzoglou, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matthew Wade, Mac WrightLast playing XI: Caleb Jewell, Zak Crawley, Mac Wright, Ben McDermott, Tim David, Matthew Wade (capt/wk), Faheem Ashraf, Joel Paris, Nathan Ellis, Wil Parker, Riley Meredith Last season’s overseas/retention options: Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Zak Crawley, Jimmy Neesham, Asif Ali, Sandeep LamichhaneDraft picks: 3, 11, 22, and 27What might they want?
One high-quality middle-order bat and a pace bowling allrounder are the two desires for Hurricanes to complement the local talent they have. Harry Brook and Will Jacks have both played for Hurricanes previously but do not qualify as retention options. However, either would make the batting look incredibly destructive but they are both only available for six to nine games with two England tours bookending the BBL and both look set to be part of at least one or both. Hurricanes’ need for an allrounder could see them test out Sydney Sixers’ mettle given Tom Curran and Chris Jordan could be available at pick 3. Sixers can’t retain both so Hurricanes could pinch one of them, but they too are only available for six to nine games.In the later rounds, Netherlands allrounder Bas de Leede might be a smokey given he impressed Hurricanes head of strategy Ricky Ponting in last year’s World Cup but he also has limited availability. Shadab Khan, who is a retention option, would also fit nicely but he is also only available for six to nine matches. There is less of a need for an overseas spinner this year for Hurricanes after they signed two local spinners, Paddy Dooley and Peter Hatzoglou. There should still be other good all-round or batting options available with Hurricanes’ second pick at No.11. Hurricanes look set to sign three overseas as they currently only have 12 on their local list so they could add some fast-bowling depth in the late rounds depending on how their first two picks go.

Melbourne Renegades

Current list: Nic Maddinson, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, MacKenzie Harvey, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Jon Wells, Will Sutherland, Adam ZampaLast playing XI Shaun Marsh, Martin Guptill, Sam Harper (wk), Aaron Finch (capt), Matt Critchley, Will Sutherland, Jon Wells, Tom Rogers, Corey Rocchiccioli, David Moody, Fawad AhmedLast season’s overseas/retention options: Matt Critchley, Martin Guptill, Akeal Hosein, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad NabiDraft picks: 4, 12, 21, and 28What might they want?
Aside from some youth to balance out one of the oldest lists in BBL history, Renegades are definitely shopping for a world-class batter who could possibly keep as well. At pick 4, Quinton de Kock looks incredibly enticing if he hasn’t already been taken. South Africa does have a T20I and ODI series against India at home in mid-December but de Kock’s national commitments for bilateral series remain fluid. If he were not to play in those games, Renegades could get eight BBL games out of him before the SA20 given how the fixtures fall for Renegades which might be a better result than other platinum picks in his availability bracket. But picking him would be a gamble. Coach David Saker’s England ties could see any of the star England batters targeted but they may have as little or less availability than de Kock early in the tournament due to a white-ball tour of the Caribbean. Jacks could be one of those, particularly with his offspin ability, but again availability will be a question.The signing of Adam Zampa means a spinner is not as crucial as previous years for them but a spin bowling allrounder and or a second spinner would also be a good fit. Mohammad Nabi is available to be retained and Renegades could still hold their retention pick until later in the draft. There should be some other options as not many teams have that specific need given the general nature of the BBL pitches. Renegades play on unique surfaces at Docklands and Geelong where a second or third spin option can be very valuable.Short-term impact? Haris Rauf has strong links with Melbourne Stars•Getty Images

Melbourne Stars

Current list: Scott Boland, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Joel Paris, Tom Rogers, Mark Steketee, Marcus Stoinis, Beau WebsterLast playing XI Joe Clarke (wk), Tom Rogers, Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Stoinis, Hilton Cartwright, Beau Webster, Nick Larkin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Luke Wood, Liam Hatcher, Adam Zampa (capt)Last season’s overseas/retention options: Trent Boult (not in the draft), Joe Clarke, Luke Wood, Haris RaufDraft picks: 1, 9, 24, and 25What might they want?
Stars almost have too many needs to make a really clear-cut decision with pick 1. They would want the best player available in the draft but they do not have a spinner currently on their list after Zampa’s departure and they have often played two international spinners at the MCG. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Shadab might not be retained by other clubs and could be worth pick 1 but both have only nominated for six to nine games. Equally, there are likely to be some good spinners available in later rounds. New Stars recruit Sam Harper nominated his former Melbourne Renegades team-mate Akeal Hosein as a great option for the MCG but he too is only available for up to nine games.They would also love a world-class fast bowler and/or an opener to complement the powerful middle order. Haris Rauf and Joe Clarke are both retention options, but it is doubtful Stars would use the first pick on either player. Rauf’s availability would be a worry even though he is a Stars favourite and a proven performer. A powerful left-hander like de Kock could well be something Stars look at, but they don’t need him to keep necessarily with the addition of Harper.

Perth Scorchers

Current list: Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Nick Hobson, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Hamish McKenzie, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam WhitemanLast playing XI Stephen Eskinazi, Cameron Bancroft, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Turner (capt), Nick Hobson, Cooper Connolly, Andrew Tye, Matthew Kelly, David Payne, Jason BehrendorffLast season’s overseas/retention options: Stephen Eskinazi, Faf du Plessis, David Payne, Adam Lyth, Tymal Mills, Laurie EvansDraft picks: 8, 16, 17, and 32What might they want?
The hat-trick-seeking defending champions will likely stick to their winning game plan and pass in the platinum round as they did last year which probably rules out the retention of Faf du Plessis. They may only need two overseas to complement their all-conquering local list and will pick for specific needs and full availability although they did pick three in the end last year. Another powerful, smart middle-order player might be a target in the gold or silver band. Laurie Evans was very popular in Perth and important for Scorchers in their 2021-22 title. Even after missing last year, he can be retained. He is available for all home and away games but not finals due to the ILT20. If they don’t take Evans they will want a batter who can handle the extra pace and bounce of Perth Stadium. Stephen Eskinazi and Adam Lyth are both fully available for the season and finals and are also retention pick options.Scorchers have historically recruited an overseas fast bowler despite their strong local contingent, in order to help manage workloads in a tournament of tight turnarounds and heavy travel. Tymal Mills is a retention option but he is now in the platinum band after they got him in the bronze band last year with pick 30, even though he didn’t play in the end. Mills is the only platinum pick to make himself fully available for the whole season plus finals but at the same time, he still has ambitions of playing for England on the Caribbean T20I tour in December. Scorchers would love someone with extra pace to cover Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris if either have injury issues or international duties. But David Payne was very good last year and is fully available.James Vince will likely be on Sydney Sixers’ radar again•Getty Images

Sydney Sixers

Current list: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Joel Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Todd Murphy, Steve O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan SilkLast playing XI Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe (wk), Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques (capt), Jordan Silk, Hayden Kerr, Dan Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Steve O’Keefe, Izharulhaq NaveedLast season’s overseas/retention options: James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed, Naveen-ul-Haq, Chris Jordan, Tom Curran, Carlos BrathwaiteDraft picks: 6, 14, 19, and 30What might they want?
Sixers face a tricky dilemma with their retention pick given three players who have been Sixers’ favourites in James Vince, Jordan and Tom Curran are all platinum picks and the two bowling allrounders could well be sought after by Hurricanes. Sixers don’t necessarily need another bowling allrounder. Even though Dan Christian has retired, Sean Abbott’s development as a batter in the last 12 months means he could move higher in the order. They probably need a top-order batter like Vince more than Curran or Jordan given Steve Smith will likely not be available at all this summer due to Test duty. Vince is also available for all 10 home and away games, unlike the two allrounders.They may target another fast bowler with some extra pace or unique skill to complement their locals. Izharulhaq Naveed bowled very well for them last season and is fully available again, including for finals. Carlos Brathwaite has also nominated for the draft having missed the last two seasons of the BBL. He played a key role in Sixers’ last title in 2020-21 as a power surge bowling specialist and could be someone who they could trust again with a later pick but he is only available for six to nine games.

Sydney Thunder

Current list: Cameron Bancroft, Ollie Davies, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Nathan McAndrew, Blake Nikitaras, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Gurinder Sandhu, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David WarnerLast playing XI Matthew Gilkes (wk), David Warner, Jason Sangha, Ollie Davies, Alex Ross, Daniel Sams, Ben Cutting, Chris Green, Nathan McAndrew, Gurinder Sandhu, Usman QadirLast season’s overseas/retention options: Rilee Rossouw, Alex Hales, Usman Qadir, Fazalhaq FarooqiDraft picks: 5, 13, 20, and 29What might they want?
It will be a shock if Alex Hales isn’t Thunder’s first choice or isn’t retained by them if he is picked by Stars, Renegades or Hurricanes ahead of pick 5. He has full availability up until finals when he heads to the ILT20 and has no international commitments. He is the perfect fit for Thunder given David Warner might not be available until late in the tournament if he gets the Test match farewell he is hoping for.Thunder could add a second batter as their domestic all-round and bowling stocks look quite strong and well-balanced, particularly with Tanveer Sangha back fully fit. Liam Hatcher has been added as a pace bowler in place of Brendan Doggett. But another high-class or experienced overseas quick would also be a useful addition for Thunder. Someone with added pace or an ability to swing the new ball in the powerplay in the Sydney summer humidity would probably be preferable.

Injured Marcus Stoinis ruled out of West Indies T20I series

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

He has stayed back in Perth to continue his recovery, leaving Australia with fewer chances to nail down their XI for the T20 World Cup

Alex Malcolm03-Oct-2022Allrounder Marcus Stoinis has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against West Indies as he continues his recovery from a side strain he suffered in early September, leaving Australia’s selectors fewer chances to bed down their best side ahead of the World Cup.Stoinis has not travelled with Australia’s squad to the Gold Coast ahead of the first game of a two-match series against West Indies on Wednesday. He has instead remained in Perth where he will link up with the squad at the weekend.Following the second T20I against West Indies in Brisbane on Friday, Australia head to Perth for the first of three T20Is against England on Sunday as they continue their preparations for their opening T20 World Cup clash on October 22. They will play one more warm-up game against India before their tournament opener against New Zealand.Stoinis suffered the injury on September 8 during an ODI series against New Zealand in Cairns. He was ruled out of the third ODI of that series and also missed Australia’s whirlwind three-match T20I tour of India. He has continually suffered side strains on both sides of his body over the last three years after being significantly hampered with it during the 2019 ODI World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

He flew home early from the ODI tour of Sri Lanka in June after suffering another minor strain but was able to recover in under three weeks to play in the Hundred in England before returning to Australia for the ODIs and Zimbabwe and New Zealand.His latest injury has come at a time when Australia have a significant selection squeeze in their top seven thanks to the performances of Cameron Green and Tim David during the tour of India.Related

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David seamlessly slotted in to the No. 6 role, vacated by Stoinis, on his Australia debut in India forming a composed partnership with Matthew Wade in a stunning run chase in Mohali before scoring a sensational 54 off 27 balls in Hyderabad to lift Australia to a highly competitive total after the top order collapsed.Stoinis has been a mainstay of Australia’s T20I middle order over the last three years and played two pivotal innings in last year’s World Cup triumph. But David’s form and experience playing the exact same role in franchise cricket means that Australia’s selectors already had a decision to make in terms of their first-choice middle order in the World Cup. Stoinis’ injury may alleviate some of the pressure on Steven Smith who was moved up to No. 3 for the India series. Mitchell Marsh is set to return to that position although his troublesome ankle, which he has had surgery on in the past, has severely hindered his bowling preparation for the World Cup after missing the India series.2:48

Hodge: Green might go on to become one of the best Australia has produced

Australia’s selectors have also been looking for any excuse to get Green into their 15-man World Cup squad following his staggering performances in India. Green was added as cover for the series against West Indies after previously being set to play Sheffield Shield cricket this week, given he is currently not in the World Cup squad. Australia can add Green to the squad if Stoinis, or another player, is ruled out of the tournament with injury.How Green fits into a starting XI against West Indies remains to be seen given his success in India came while opening the batting. David Warner has returned to the squad after being rested for the India series and it is highly unlikely Australia would move either Warner or captain Aaron Finch down the order given their success and experience as an opening duo.Green did show his middle order and finishing skills in the ODIs against New Zealand but has limited T20 experience in those roles, although that is unlikely to faze the selectors as he had no opening experience in professional cricket prior to the India tour. His bowling would also give Australia another option, given their preference for seven batters and only four specialist bowlers in their XI with the fifth bowler to be made up by allrounders with Marsh, Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell providing those options at last year’s World Cup.Australia still has some overall fitness concerns ahead of the World Cup with depth players Ashton Agar and Kane Richardson unavailable for the West Indies series due to minor side strains both men suffered in India.