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The focus is on winning the trophy, but the players haven’t lost sight of the bigger picture

Andrew McGlashan in Sydney06-Mar-2020Sunday at the MCG will not be an ordinary day or an ordinary cricket match. It remains to be seen if the world-record crowd for a women’s sporting event is broken, but the match-up of Australia against India means there’s a great chance of it happening – after more than two years of hype and talk, the most anticipated day in the history of women’s cricket has almost arrived.”Thank goodness it’s here,” Australia captain Meg Lanning said with a smile in the aftermath of the tense rain-affected semi-final against South Africa in Sydney.

No rain threat for World Cup final

After all the rain-related drama of the semi-finals in Sydney, there doesn’t seem to be any such concern for the final at the MCG, with Melbourne forecast to be dry and sunny on Sunday. As the southern hemisphere is now heading into autumn, the evening may get a little chilly but there is very little threat of rain. And, unlike the semi-finals, there is a reserve day for the final on Monday.

For the two teams involved, holding aloft the trophy on Sunday evening will dominate their thoughts over the next many hours, but even those involved in the cut and thrust of elite sport can see the bigger picture to what will take place in Melbourne.”It was about showing there’s a pathway, there’s female role models out there for young girls to look up to, and really creating and inspiring young people to be involved,” Lanning said. “Not just young people in Australia, but around the world, that cricket is a really powerful sport and platform.”I think it’s been a great tournament so far. There’s been amazing games. There’s really great people involved. It seems like it has sort of fallen into place a little bit, and Sunday is going to be massive. We’re really pleased we get the opportunity to be a part of it. So hopefully there is 90,000 people there. Everything’s been done that could possibly be done, and we’re just really pumped we get to be out in the middle and play in front of everyone.” The Australians have seemingly accepted that the sporting cliché of treating a big match as just another game probably needs to go out of the window. “Definitely not,” Megan Schutt said when asked if would be like a normal game. “It is just another cricket match in a way but at the same time this country needs a bit of joy and to want to set a new world record is a cool thing to be a part of. Hopefully we can play our best cricket but if that doesn’t happen so be it.””I’m excited about the opportunity to be part of a pretty life-changing experience for the global game,” Beth Mooney said. “Cricket’s been a part of the Australian public’s life for a very long time and they have a knack of getting behind us, when there is adversity thrown at us and things like that so it’s really exciting to think the MCG could be full of people, some cheering for us, some cheering for India, but also cheering for the game and wanting to be part of something pretty special.”Delissa Kimmince will be the one surviving member of Australia’s 2009 World Cup side, the last time they staged a home women’s tournament, to take the field if she plays on Sunday – after the injury that ended Ellyse Perry’s tournament – and admitted her mind was drawn to the comparisons. She played two matches in the 2009 event, where Australia did not make the final, but this time against South Africa, she bowled her three overs for just 16 runs and claimed the key wicket of Mignon du Preez.”I was only thinking that today, it’s been nearly 12 years since that World Cup. It wasn’t a great one for me, bad memories all round,” she said. “When I look back on my career, I’m very grateful for these moments and what I’ve been able to achieve, the resilience I’ve had to show – I’ve had injuries, I’ve lost contracts – to come back and play a crucial role tonight it makes it all that more worthwhile and enjoyable.Beth Mooney steers into the off side•Getty Images

“At the end of the day, I’m just grateful to be here. Sunday will be a great opportunity, I have no doubt they’ll be a lot of nerves, but you just have to go out and enjoy those moments – they only come once in a lifetime.”As captain, part of Lanning’s job would be balancing the need to embrace the occasion while also keeping a focus on what happens in the middle. “It will be different, no doubt about that,” she said. “I’ve been to the MCG when there’s 100,000 fans there, and I’ve been in the stands, and the atmosphere is absolutely incredible, and I’ve sort of had goosebumps watching. To think that we’ll be out in the middle experiencing that, that’s going to be really exciting and such a great thing to be a part of.”Even the captains who had their hopes shattered on Thursday – one by rain and another by defeat – were able to acknowledge the larger impact of the tournament.”For girls, it’s an equal billing to the boys which has been outstanding,” Heather Knight said after England were eliminated following a washout against India. “Obviously today is disappointing but it won’t take too much shine off where the sport has gone. And you see if the money’s put into publicising it and putting it out there, that people do want to come watch it.”South Africa’s Dane van Niekerk said, “I know it’s going to be a cracking final. I wish I could be there in front of 90,000 people. I really hope you get the 90,000 people. Women’s cricket deserves it. It’s been there for a long time. It’s now the time for us, and obviously women’s sport, to rise.”

Aaron Finch was taken for x-rays on a possible fractured right index finger after he was hit by Mohammed Shami

Daniel Brettig in Perth16-Dec-2018Aaron Finch was taken for x-rays after a fierce blow on his right index finger on the third day in Perth, but appeared to have escaped serious injury. Finch was struck a painful blow in the 13th over of the innings by Mohammed Shami in more or less the same spot where he had twice been struck by Mitchell Starc in net sessions earlier in the summer.A more positive assessment of Finch’s finger emerged shortly after play, although it remained to seen what role he would take in the remainder of the second innings.”Pretty sure he’s been cleared of any serious damage,” Nathan Lyon said. “I’m still not sure whether he’s going to bat, so if he bats he bats, if he doesn’t we’ll just have to make do with whatever we can get to. But great news for Aaron that he’s been cleared of any serious damage.”Starc, who contributed to some of Finch’s pain, told : “I think his finger is still numb. I think they put some stuff in it, but we’ll see how it goes overnight. There’s a bit of swelling there and he will, I guess, spend the night with the doctors as well and test it out in the morning to see if he can keep batting.””I think that’s the third time he’s been hit on it in the last four weeks. So not ideal. Unfortunately I was one of those one’s that got him. Hopefully it goes okay overnight and he can keep batting tomorrow at some point.”The finger troubles for Finch had begun when Starc hit him on the bottom hand during training for the first ODI of the season, also in Perth against South Africa last month, and the same spot was hit by the same bowler in Australia’s main training session before the first Test in Adelaide, whereupon Finch muttered the words “same finger” before seeking treatment from the team doctor Richard Saw.After struggling in both innings of the Adelaide Test, Finch scrapped his way to a half-century alongside Marcus Harris on day one of the Perth Test, and having reached 25 not out in the second innings was quickly wringing his right hand after the blow from Shami.In obvious pain, Finch received extensive treatment on the field before it was decided that he must retire hurt to seek further information on the seriousness of the blow. The umpires then called for tea about a minute earlier than scheduled, and Finch did not resume in the evening session.It’s not the first time Shami has inconvenienced an Australian batsman this series, having also struck Tim Paine on the right index finger in the second innings in Adelaide and duly creating a wave of concerns given the captain’s long history of troubles with the digit.

It was all homegrown players to the fore for Rajshahi as Zakir Hasan struck his maiden BPL fifty after Mominul Haque and Mehidy Hasan had done enough to set up the win

Mohammad Isam17-Nov-2017Zakir Hasan goes for a big sweep•BCB

Rajshahi Kings came back to winning ways as they defeated Sylhet Sixers by seven wickets. It was all homegrown players to the fore as little-known Zakir Hasan struck his maiden BPL fifty after Mominul Haque and Mehidy Hasan had done enough to set up the win.Zakir struck an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes, and shared a 53-run unbroken fourth-wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim who scored 25 off 20 balls.Sylhet had earlier put up 146 for 6 mostly because of Sabbir’s late charge – 41 off 26 balls that included four sixes – after Danushka Gunathilaka contributed with a 37-ball 40 with four fours and two sixes. Kesrick Williams took two wickets but it was Mehidy and James Franklin who put the brakes on Sylhet’s charge.Sylhet quiet for 17 oversMehidy bowled his four overs in the first eight overs, conceding just 12 runs and picking up Upul Tharanga’s wicket. It was a dream delivery for an offspinner against an in-form left-hand batsman, as he beat Tharanga’s forward push with the turn to crash into the stumps. Nurul Hasan gave a catch to fine leg before Nasir was bowled by Samit Patel in the 13th over. And when Gunathilaka fell in the following over, Sylhet were in real trouble.After Mehidy, Franklin and Patel combined to bowl five overs for only 23 runs as Sylhet hardly looked to be in the groove for the first 17 overs, in which they reached 92 for 5.Sabbir’s big finishSabbir was having trouble timing the ball until the last three balls of the 18th over. He managed to hit Farhad Reza for a six over long-on before hitting the next ball a lot straighter for a second six. The over went for 24 runs after Sabbir swept the last ball for a four.In the last over, Sabbir struck Williams for two consecutive sixes before holing out to square leg, for his first substantial contribution for Sylhet in the tournament. It was a timely effort too, as Sylhet amassed 54 runs in the last three overs.The home boys find their feetMominul and Rony Talukdar got Rajshahi’s chase off to a fast start, adding 65 runs in 8.3 overs. Rony got an early life when Gunathilaka dropped him at midwicket off the second ball of the innings. He went on to hit Taijul Islam for a straight six in the seventh over, but fell for 24 off 22 balls when he was stumped off Nasir in the ninth over. Mominul continued to bat fluently, also hitting one six in his 36-ball 42, that also included five fours.Zakir, playing his first match this season, also rode on a bit of luck in the 12th over when he was caught at midwicket but replays showed the bowler Nabil Samad had overstepped. He slogged the next two balls for huge sixes, handing Rajshahi back the advantage.A stroll to finishMominul’s dismissal came at a time when he and Zakir were looking dangerous together but Mushfiqur calmed things down by rotating the strike regularly with Zakir. The teenager struck the winning runs in the 18th over off Taijul, with two consecutive fours – through third man and midwicket – to take them home with 15 balls to spare.

The ICC has refused to get involved in the BCCI’s tussle with the Lodha Committee, ICC chief executive David Richardson has indicated

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2016The ICC has refused to get involved in the BCCI’s tussle with the Lodha Committee, ICC chief executive David Richardson has indicated.Richardson told that BCCI president Anurag Thakur had asked the global governing body to address a letter to the Indian board, asking it to clarify whether the reforms of the Lodha Committee – forced on the board by the Supreme Court of India – did not amount to government interference in the board’s running. As per ICC regulations, member boards cannot have government interference in their running.ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, Richardson said, was reluctant to get involved in the matter unless “formally” requested to.”The BCCI president Mr Thakur did verbally ask the ICC to write a letter to the BCCI asking the BCCI to explain whether the recommendations of Lodha Committee might constitute government interference,” Richardson said, according to PTI. “But Mr Manohar said that the ICC should not write such a letter unless the BCCI first writes to the ICC requesting ICC to intervene, or ICC receives a letter from another of its member boards to do so. But no such letters have been received.”So I understand that Mr Manohar is reluctant to interfere in the domestic affairs of a member country. He will not do so without being formally requested to do so by the member concerned and nor is he prepared to put the ICC in a position where it could be perceived as challenging the authority of the Supreme Court of India.”Don’t forget… the consequences of the government interference could lead to the suspension of a member board and nobody really wants the BCCI to be suspended.”Richardson said Thakur was not happy with the ICC’s refusal to write the letter. “There were other board members present when that request was made by Mr Thakur,” he said. “As far as I [could] see, Mr Thakur actually criticised the ICC for not sending the letter.”BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke responded to Richardson saying: “First of all, any verbal discussion is not a request. Informal discussions take place on so many issues.”Shirke added that it had been Manohar’s call, when he was still the BCCI president and the board had submitted its affidavit to the Supreme Court after the Lodha recommendations, to highlight the threat of suspension.”When these affidavits were made, it was Shashank who approved them as BCCI president and lawyer. He was the one who said, ‘we should include this point’,” Shirke told the . “He was already heading the ICC and was holding both portfolios at that time. Now, either he has conveniently forgotten about this or this Richardson has been tutored to say what he’s saying,”Earlier, Thakur said at a press conference that the ICC had stepped in when there were administrative issues with other member boards, but it was ignoring what was happening with the BCCI. “Here there is an outside interference,” Thakur said. “ICC takes a decision on Nepal, Sri Lanka on the basis of outside interference, [but] they are keeping mum here when BCCI is concerned.”In July, India’s Supreme Court accepted a majority of the recommendations put forward by the Lodha Committee covering wide-ranging aspects of Indian cricket at the central and state level, and gave the BCCI a maximum of six months to implement the reforms. The Lodha Committee, comprising former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha and retired Supreme Court judges, Ashok Bhan and R Raveendran was formed by the court in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for the franchises involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and propose changes to the BCCI’s functioning.Last week, Thakur had said the “ICC regime” was trying to “sideline the BCCI, one of the most important stakeholders in global cricket today”.Manohar, meanwhile, had said he was concerned with the interests of the ICC and world cricket, not the BCCI. Manohar had seemed to take a similar tone when, soon after taking charge of the ICC in November 2015, he said he wanted to stop the “bullying” caused by the constitutional revamp of 2014 – the “Big Three” episode, which left the BCCI, the ECB and Cricket Australia better off than other member boards financially and in terms of administrative powers.

The future of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location

George Dobell03-Aug-2015The future of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club looks uncertain after a request to the ECB for emergency financial help and an examination of the benefits of selling their ground and moving to an out-of-town location.The club, who have already borrowed several hundred thousand pounds from a group of directors earlier this year, have been instructed by the ECB to undergo an independent financial review to ascertain whether they fill the criteria for borrowing. It is believed they require around £500,000 to meet urgent financial obligations.The ECB has assisted counties in the past but with a full-scale review of the professional game in progress, it cannot be assumed that further largesse will automatically be forthcoming.Whether Northants seek to move headquarters or even become the first of the first-class clubs to dissolve remains to be seen. Increasingly, though, the current arrangement appears unsustainable.Northants declared a loss of £305,636 last year and are forecasting another heavy loss for 2015. They have already accepted that their prize asset, the England one-day allrounder David Willey, is likely to leave the club at the end of the season – Willey is contracted until the end of 2016 but had a verbal agreement allowing him to leave if he wished – and are looking at other cost-saving measures. The player wage bill is certain to be reduced.Former club captain Stephen Peters, Scotland international Kyle Coetzer, fast bowler Maurice Chambers and David Murphy are all expected to leave at the end of the season, while younger players such as Ben Duckett, the former England U19 captain, and Rob Keogh, who is the subject of interest from Essex, could also depart.The deeper concern is that this time of year, with T20 revenues secured, should be easier in terms of cash flow. Most clubs suffer more in the autumn when income streams dry up and bills have to be paid.Northants have previously borrowed from Northamptonshire County Council to redevelop their ground and to maximise potential revenue from T20 cricket.They were scheduled to repay the money from ECB receipts, but that income has been damaged by the international retirement of Graeme Swann and the non-selection of Monty Panesar. In the past, Northants have received performance-related payments (worth over £100,000 a year for Swann) as the ‘developing club’ of the two spinners.Financial pressures have encouraged an examination of whether Northants should abandon their ground, situated close to the centre of Northampton, and move to a spot further out of town.Indeed, ESPNcricinfo understands that the club have invested in a research project to identify a potential new location for the ground and, with the local council’s help, are considering a patch at Sixfields near Northampton Town’s stadium.The cricket and football clubs used to play on adjoining grounds until the football club upped sticks in 1994. Northants members would need to sanction such a move.The club bought the freehold on their Wantage Road ground in May 2012 and had the site valued, in its current condition, at around £4.5m. With planning permission, it could be worth more than £10m. The club’s chairman, Gavin Warren, is also a director of a Bleu Star Land and Property Ltd; a company whose tag line is: “unlock the full potential of your assets.”The club state there is a covenant on their ground which makes it impossible to obtain planning permission. They also claim they have not applied for an emergency loan from the ECB. Both these claims are disputed by club insiders and sources at the ECB.Underlining the impression that club is ailing, ESPNcricinfo also understands that Northants was reported to the ECB for failing to have lunch prepared for players and officials during the Championship match against Derbyshire. The chief executive, Ray Payne, is also not a full-time presence at the ground.In the shorter term, the County Tavern, the pub owned by the club, could also be sold. It has been listed for sale before – and valued at around £550,000 – but withdrawn before completion. However, if the directors’ loans have been taken against the value of the pub, the sale of it may not benefit Northants CCC. Such matters will be scrutinised by the independent financial review before any loan is approved.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who is part of India’s ODI squad, has completed a triple-century for Saurashtra in their ongoing Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2013Cheteshwar Pujara, who is part of India’s ODI squad, has completed a triple-century for Saurashtra in their ongoing Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka in Rajkot, on the eve of the first one-dayer against England which is also in the same town. MS Dhoni, however, said it was unlikely that Pujara would play the first ODI.”It looks very unlikely as of now because we have to see the whole batting line-up, the position he’s ideally suited for and all those things,” Dhoni said a day ahead of the first ODI. “As of now, it looks very unlikely. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. If somebody gets unfit, we’ll see.”As the rest of India’s one-day squad practised at the SCA Khandheri Stadium, Rajkot’s new international venue, Pujara resumed his innings on 261 at the Saurashtra University Ground and went on to reach his 300 off 356 deliveries on the fifth morning. His innings had helped Saurashtra secure their semi-final berth. He was eventually dismissed for 352 as Saurashtra closed made their second highest score in the Ranji Trophy.”My plan was to get some practice for the ODI. Once I was set, once I scored my hundred I was in a positive mood and our team was safe,” Pujara had said after the third day. “Even if I would have got out, we were still safe to qualify.”His inclusion in India’s squad for the first three matches against England was his maiden ODI call-up, and it had come at the expense of Virender Sehwag. Pujara was India’s best batsman in the Test series against England and was picked in the limited-overs team after India lost the ODI series to Pakistan.

Shaun Marsh is confident he will be fit for the Boxing Day Test after pulling up well from his net sessions over the past two days in Melbourne

Brydon Coverdale22-Dec-2011Shaun Marsh is confident he will be fit for the Boxing Day Test after pulling up well from his net sessions over the past two days in Melbourne. Marsh will play for the Perth Scorchers in Thursday night’s Big Bash League match against the Melbourne Renegades at the Docklands Stadium and he believes if he makes it through without a problem, he will be fit for the first Test against India.The Twenty20 game will be Marsh’s first match since severely hurting his back during the Cape Town Test six weeks ago. Early last week, he appeared to have no chance of playing on Boxing Day, but a tweak to his rehab routine and plenty of work with the team physio Alex Kountouris has put Marsh firmly into the frame to bat at No.3 against India.He has batted without discomfort in the MCG nets over the past two days and was named in a 13-man squad for the first Test, along with the allrounder Daniel Christian. The national selector John Inverarity said on Wednesday that if Marsh could prove his fitness he was likely to play ahead of Christian, and the initial signs have been positive.”It’s actually pulled up fine,” Marsh said. “Probably a week and a half ago if you asked me the same question it was a bit stiff and sore, still. But I’ve worked very hard in the last week and a half to get myself in this position and the last two or three days have been really good. I’ve had extended net practice and have felt fine. Hopefully I can bat a few overs tonight and dive around and have a catch and run around and field and pull up fine and be ready to go.”It has been a remarkable turnaround for Marsh, who has had back issues several times during his career. During the Cape Town Test, he was struck in the groin by Morne Morkel two balls before lunch on the first day and the sudden movement contributed to his back seizing up. That night, the situation was so bad that Marsh couldn’t even get out of bed without assistance.”The night that I did it I had Michael Beer and [Michael] Hussey and Alex Kountouris picking me up and taking me to the toilet,” he said. “It wasn’t pleasant. I couldn’t move. Every time I did move I was struggling. I couldn’t get out of bed. It was tough there for a few days. It was a tough month for me to try and overcome it. In previous times I could move around and do things by myself, still in pain, but I’ve never had help before to get out of bed.”It was pretty slow at the start. I was struggling a fair bit for the first month. Every time I tried to increase my training schedule or load I just couldn’t do it, I would pull up terrible. I’ve worked hard with my people back home in Perth and with Alex Kountouris, changed a few things around in the last three weeks which have helped a lot. It has improved a lot in the last week and a bit. I’m confident but we’ll have to wait and see.”Marsh has become one of the most important members of Australia’s batting order during his short Test career, having scored a century on debut in Sri Lanka, 81 in his second Test and 44 in Cape Town, where he was the only man to offer serious support to the centurion Michael Clarke. He will slot back in at No.3 if he plays against India, with Usman Khawaja having been dropped.