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He believes this West Indies unit includes a number of match-winners who can bring home another world title

Nagraj Gollapudi01-Jun-2024After two disappointing T20 World Cups, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals in 2021 and progress past the first round in 2022, Nicholas Pooran believes that West Indies are now ready to “redeem” themselves. With this year’s edition being co-hosted by the West Indies, Pooran said that the squad is hungry to rekindle that “special feeling” Daren Sammy’s men had experienced when they won the title in 2012 and 2016.”Coming back in here after two years, everybody wants to get that special feeling we had when we won those two T20 World Cups,” Pooran told ESPNcricinfo from his home in Trinidad. “I feel like everybody wants that moment again. They want to be a part of that winning feeling. Doing it in front of our fans is even more special.”Pooran replaced Kieron Pollard as West Indies’ white-ball captain in May 2022, but by November he had stepped down, a decision Cricket West Indies took as part of a review immediately after the 2022 World Cup failure. Rovman Powell leads them now. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, which was played in Australia, West Indies won just one of their three matches in the first round, crashing out as Zimbabwe and Ireland progressed ahead of them.Related

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Pooran, 28, said both him and several members of the current squad have moved on since. “We all have grown as players, as team-mates as well,” he said. “When we played in Australia where we didn’t qualify, everyone was hurt. I resigned [from] captaincy after that as well. Everyone was hurt. But we are no longer that group of guys.”We all know what’s at stake here. We all know that we have an opportunity to obviously redeem ourselves, make our cricket fans in the Caribbean and our cricket fans all over the world proud of us [and] happy. This time around we are much better players as well. Most of our guys that play franchise cricket, they understand what is needed to be a professional as well.”Pooran was among half-a-dozen players from West Indies’ World Cup squad of 15 that didn’t feature in the recent three-match T20I series at home against South Africa, which they won 3-0 under the captaincy of Brandon King. The other five players who had missed that series were Andre Russell, Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph and Sherfane Rutherford.Pooran was impressed with how West Indies, despite the absence of the senior players, were “fighting” to perform and win.”If you just look at the series we played against South Africa, a few guys were missing, but we were able to win that series 3-nil,” Pooran said. “You saw the performances, you saw that guys are fighting and that’s really important. We may win, we may not win, but what’s more important for me, as a senior player as well, is that we need to give it 100% on and off the field.”It’s not about us, it’s about our team, 100%. It’s important for me to continue to share that message: that it’s not about me or ourselves. It’s not about us at all. It’s all about what we can do for this team to be successful in the end.”Rovman Powell and Andre Russell lend depth to West Indies’ line-up•Getty Images

‘West Indies have numerous match-winners’

While announcing West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad in early May, batting great Desmond Haynes, who is presently the chief selector, pointed out that they were capable of winning the title. Sitting next to Haynes, the head coach Sammy said West Indies had 15 X-factor players. Along with Sammy, this current West Indies unit has two players – Russell and Johnson Charles – who were part of the T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. West Indies are now looking to become the first team to win a T20 World Cup at home.While Pooran will clearly be one of the key batters in the middle order, West Indies have more firepower with the likes of Powell, Russell, Hetmyer, Rutherford and Shepherd making them one of the most destructive batting line-ups in the tournament. Russell, in particular, comes into this in top form – both with bat and ball – having helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their third IPL title.Pooran said the presence of Russell, who had returned to the West Indies T20I fold last December after a long hiatus, would no doubt sprinkle positivity across the dressing room. “He’s a winner. He wins T20 games,” Pooran said. “He wins tournaments and whenever you have that experience in the dressing room, it helps a lot, especially in a World Cup. Experience is key.”West Indies, however, are not just about Russell. Pooran stressed that West Indies had a number of other match-winners.”We have Rovy [Powell], we have Hetmyer, we have Rutherford, we have Sheppy [Shepherd],” Pooran said. “These guys have been doing brilliantly for themselves and for their franchises and for West Indies in the last 12 months. And I even think that takes a lot of pressure off Russell as well. It definitely takes a lot of pressure off me.”Pooran cited the example of the third and final T20I against Australia in Perth this February which West Indies won by 37 runs, despite losing wickets in a heap in the early exchanges.”I remember that last game in Perth. We were struggling, we were probably 70 for 4 [79 for 5],” Pooran recalled, “and we scored 215 [220 for 6]. Russell and Rutherford scored 70 apiece [71 and 67 respectively]. They just tore Australia’s bowling apart. Just to have these guys … makes you not worry that much.”In saying that, every single individual still has to do their jobs. But the beauty about our team is that we have players that, on their day, they can win a game for you in T20 cricket. That’s what you want. We have numerous match-winners on our team.”

The latest news and snippets from the Big Bash

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2019Meredith injury huge blow for HurricanesHobart Hurricanes fast bowler Riley Meredith is set to miss the rest of the Big Bash after picking up a side strain against the Perth Scorchers.Meredith is expected to be sidelined for between four to six weeks with the focus on him recovering for the return of the Sheffield Shield with Tasmania in mid-February.Meredith is the Hurricanes’ leading wicket-taker this season with 10 wickets in six matches at an economy of 6.68.”We’re expecting this injury will rule Riley out of the remainder of our BBL campaign,” team physiotherapist Stewart Williamson said. “Riley had scans yesterday, which unfortunately revealed a significant left side strain that will sideline him for at least a month.”We will work with Riley on a rehabilitation plan to ideally have him back available for the second half of the Sheffield Shield season.”The Hurricanes have also lost D’Arcy Short after his call-up to the ODI squad for the tour of India but can bring back captain Matthew Wade after the conclusion of the Test series. Ben McDermott, who has been captain in Wade’s absence, will continue as wicketkeeperLyon’s comeback delayedNathan Lyon’s return to the BBL with the Sydney Sixers will be delayed by a thumb injury he sustained during the final Test against New Zealand.Lyon split his right thumb dropping a return catch off Glenn Phillips in the first innings although it did not stop him taking a 10-wicket match haul.He is set to miss matches against the Adelaide Strikers, the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes with a potential return for the derby against the Sydney Thunder on January 18.”I pride myself on my fielding, especially the fielding off my own bowling,” Lyon said during the Test. “I know how hard it is to take Test wickets and when you’re dropping catches off your own bowling it doesn’t sit really well with you.”Stars bring back Rauf for injured BrownPakistan paceman Haris Rauf is set to return for the Melbourne Stars against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG on Wednesday.Rauf has been named in the Stars’ 13-man squad after England bowler Pat Brown was ruled out of the tournament with a stress fracture. Brown was due to replace Dale Steyn who has headed back to South Africa.Rauf has been a revelation starring in three games earlier in the tournament taking 10 wickets, including 5 for 27 against the Hobart Hurricanes, but was unable to remain in the Stars’ team under BBL rules as he could only play as an injury replacement for the two first-choice overseas players in Steyn and Sandeep Lamichhane.The BBL leaders also have also included Hilton Cartwright in the squad after recovering from injury.Renegades bring in Samit PatelMelbourne Renegades have called in Nottinghamshire and former England spinning allrounder Samit Patel for the clash with Perth Scorchers in Geelong on Tuesday.Patel, 35, has signed as an international replacement player for Notts team-mate Harry Gurney who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.Patel has played alongside Gurney and Renegades veteran Dan Christian at Notts and will fill a role that has been missing for the Renegades with the absence of Mohammad Nabi. Patel’s only cricket since the end of the English season was in the Abu Dhabi T10.Victoria fast bowler Andrew Fekete also comes in as a replacement player for batsman Mackenzie Harvey who is departing for the Under 19 World Cup.Perth Scorchers have recalled Sam Whiteman to their squad but are still missing Australia batsman Ashton Turner due to illness.Rauf returnsHaving been discarded as Melbourne Stars’ second overseas player despite seven wickets in his first two appearances, Haris Rauf will return to BBL action in his side’s game against Sydney Thunder on Thursday.Rauf, the fast bowler from Pakistan, was top of the wicket-taking charts after two games of the season, but was omitted from the Stars’ games against Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes after Dale Steyn – the man he had replaced in the side – returned to fitness.Steyn has taken three wickets in his two appearances so far, and will line up alongside Rauf at the Showground, with Nepalese legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane rested due to an injury.The Stars expect Lamichhane to return in time for the Melbourne derby on January 4, and will have yet another overseas combination after that game: Steyn is due to be replaced by England’s death-bowling specialist Pat Brown after that fixture.The umpire and the itchy noseThe umpire at the centre of a bizarre decision during the BBL match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Adelaide Strikers has explained why he went from giving the batsman out to scratching his nose.Greg Davidson started to raise the finger when Rashid Khan appealed for an lbw against Beau Webster, but as the Strikers players began to celebrate he changed his mind, in a manner that has gone viral. “It was one of those things, heat of the moment,” Davidson told Channel 7. “I started to think and then got a second noise through my head, so I decided to change the decision halfway through, and gave it not out.”The replays were inconclusive, and the Renegades coach Michael Klinger praised Davidson’s decision.”To be honest, I like it,” Klinger said. “I think he felt he made half a mistake and he thought that Beau hit it. I think it’s gutsy for him to change it halfway through, so I commend him for that. I actually think it’s the right call whether it happened for us or against.”New BBL star left outMelbourne Stars have dropped the BBL’s equal leading wicket-taker Haris Rauf with South Africa star Dale Steyn ready to return to against the Adelaide Strikers on the Gold Coast on Friday night.Rauf has been a revelation in the Stars first two games taking 2 for 20 and 5 for 27 in the Stars’ first two wins. But Rauf was only called up as an overseas replacement player when Steyn was rested from the first two matches as he recovered from a side strain.BBL rules only allow for each team to field two overseas players at any time and with Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane contracted for the entire tournament, Rauf has to make way for Steyn. Barring any further injury to Steyn or Lamichhane, Rauf is unlikely to play again for the Stars this season, with England’s Pat Brown already in Australia preparing to replace Steyn when he heads back to South Africa in mid-January.New recruit Nathan Coulter-Nile has also been included in the Stars squad after missing the opening two matches with an ankle issue.Maxwell focuses on T20 World CupGlenn Maxwell is taking his omission from Australia’s ODI squad in his stride and believes he has learnt how to deal with such situations.In late October, Maxwell took a break from the game to manage his mental health and produced a dazzling display in his first match back with 83 off 39 balls for the Melbourne Stars against the Brisbane Heat.That came a few days after he was one of a group of senior players not included for the one-day tour of India next month, with both national selector Trevor Hohns and coach Justin Langer saying it was a decision taken based on Maxwell’s one-day form over the last 12 months”I probably haven’t dwelled on it as much as I probably did in the past,” he said. “I suppose not shelving it and just not thinking about it, being able to have the conversations with people about it and deal with it appropriately. That’s probably something I haven’t done very well in the past and to be able to get through the other side and perform well, really makes a big difference.”Maxwell, who secured USD$1.5 million IPL deal with Kings XI, will remain a key cog in Australia’s T20I side as they build towards next year’s World Cup on home soil – an event which is at the forefront of his mind.”There’s that big carrot I suppose at the start of next season and I’ll be doing everything I can to work towards that.”Wright returns to the StarsFormer Melbourne Stars and England batsman Luke Wright has been hired as the Stars’ new batting coach. The Stars have been without a batting mentor in the build-up to the BBL after Michael Klinger left the role to take up the head coaching job with the Melbourne Renegades. Wright will join the squad in January. He played 57 matches with the Stars and is currently their all-time leading run-scorer with 1479 and he is the only Stars player to score two BBL centuries.”I’ve missed being a part of the Stars group last season so when the opportunity came up to be involved as batting coach, I jumped at it,” Wright said. “I’m really looking forward to working with Huss [David Hussey] and helping a really exciting and talented bunch of players prepare for the matches. I can’t wait to get started.”Finch calls for BBL DRSCricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said that he had taken heed of calls by Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch for the use of DRS in future editions of the BBL, but ruled out its inclusion this season.In the opening over of the season, Usman Khawaja survived an lbw appeal against Josh Lalor which replays showed should have been given out.Finch believes DRS should be available as it now is in T20Is, the IPL and the finals of this year’s CPL. “I think we should have one review, similar to internationals and ODI cricket,” he said. “There’s so much riding on games and you know how much of an impact one ball can have or one decision can have.”Sometimes you’re on the right side, sometimes you’re not, but I think we’ve come far enough and there’s enough time in the game to have a 90-second strategy break, so to me it would make sense.”Roberts said: “We’ll review the BBL in the ordinary course at the end of the season. I was really happy to see the opening match last night and to watch that from home, the first tactical timeout as well. I think Aaron makes a really good point, and also a really good question about DRS. We’re not going to be looking at that right now but like all things cricket, as each season passes we review and we consider how we can improve and I think Aaron makes a fair point and one that we would consider going forward.”Renegades draft in Doolan; Christian ready for spinAlex Doolan has returned to the Melbourne Renegades having been drafted in as a local replacement player ahead of the opening match of the tournament for the defending champions.He comes into the squad for 19-year-old pace bowler Zak Evans who is recovering from a back injury. However, there is no place for recent Test opener Marcus Harris. The Renegades begin their title defence against the Sydney Thunder in Geelong.Meanwhile, Dan Christian was watching the Thunder’s opening match closely and was preparing himself to face plenty of spin after seeing the impact of Jono Cook, Chris Green and Arjun Nair against the Brisbane Heat. The trio took 6 for 70 from 12 overs to derail the Heat at the Gabba.

The deal covers the broadcast of 14 international events across men’s, women’s and Under-19 World Cups

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2023The ICC has signed a four-year deal with Willow TV and Digital in the USA and Canada, giving Willow digital and broadcast rights for all men’s and women’s major events till the end of 2027.The first direct live TV contractual relationship between the ICC and Willow will cover the broadcast of 14 international events across men’s, women’s and Under-19 World Cup and T20 World Cup competitions. All the senior men’s and women’s ICC events will receive TV coverage, beginning with the men’s T20 World Cup in 2024, scheduled to be held in the USA and the West Indies.Related

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“USA is an important strategic market for the ICC and the direct partnership with Willow will provide us with a number of exciting opportunities to strengthen engagement with fans in the region,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC CEO, said.The ICC had invited bids for media rights to global cricketing events over the next four (or eight) years for the Australian, US, Caribbean and Canadian markets last September.This is the first time the ICC has unbundled its media rights, choosing to sell them territory by territory. In August last year, the ICC sealed a deal in the Indian market for an undisclosed sum. That winning bid, thought to be in the region of just over US$ 3 billion, came from Disney Star* and covers both television and digital rights to men’s and women’s global tournaments between 2024 and 2027. Days after the winning bid was announced, Disney Star announced it would in turn be licensing part of the rights to Zee Entertainment Enterprises in another landmark deal.In January this year, the ICC struck an eight-year deal with Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, giving them access to broadcast all World Cups between 2024 and 2031.

Northern Superchargers move second after dumping two-time champions out of the competition

ECB Media23-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers 127 for 3 (Davidson-Richards 50, Litchfield 29) beat Oval Invincibles 125 for 6 (Winfield-Hill 37, Cross 2-16) by seven wicketsNorthern Superchargers solidified their position in the top three of the women’s competition of The Hundred with a comfortable win over a misfiring Oval Invincibles, whose hopes of staging a late run to the knockout stages lay in ruins after a maiden tournament half-century for Alice Davidson-Richards and another brilliant cameo from Phoebe Litchfield.A win here doesn’t quite confirm the Superchargers’ progression – London Spirit, in fourth, could yet haul them in – but the result does end the Invincibles’ slim chances of featuring come the business end.The result will sting for Lauren Winfield-Hill’s team, who scrapped hard but were always up against it once Tash Farrant was injured in the field; Tarrant was only able to bowl five deliveries, which meant that Winfield-Hill had to turn to spin. With Farrant indisposed and her new-ball partner Marizanne Kapp forced to complete her 20 deliveries early, Litchfield and Davidson-Richards counter-attacked devastatingly, putting on 47 to take the game away from the visitors.Davidson-Richards brought up her fifty with a slew of punches down the ground, hitting nine fours in all in her 32-ball stay, while Litchfield’s range of shots, with the signature reverse-sweep once more in evidence, was breath-taking at times, her 21-ball 29 taking her into the top three of the competition’s run-scorers.Despite losing both batters in quick succession, the Australian pair of Annabel Sutherland and Nicola Carey steadied any nerves to see the Superchargers home with a full set still to bowl.The Invincibles, two-times winners of the competition, will be hurting. A garlanded line-up only sporadically clicked into top gear and even today, despite a sparky knock of 37 at No.5 from Winfield-Hill, their big guns were quiet, with their top four of Paige Scholfield, Meg Lanning, Alice Capsey and Kapp contributing just 39 runs between them, as Grace Bollinger and Kate Cross set the tone with excellent new-ball spells.Meerkat Match Hero, Alice Davidson-Richards, was relieved that they held their nerve to get the job done. “I’ll be honest, I was a bit of a wreck at the end there, pacing around with a cup of tea, just hoping the girls [Sutherland and Carey] could get us over the line. In the end it was a really great win for the team.”Up top it was quite hard against the seamers who were swinging it around for both teams, but as I got in, it got a little bit easier. And at Headingley, it’s always a decent deck to bat on.”
ends

Maxine Blythin says she has received huge support on the cricket field and in everyday life

Valkerie Baynes26-Nov-2019Maxine Blythin, the transgender cricketer who was recently named as Kent Women’s Player of the Year, has revealed she was shocked by the negative reaction towards her.Blythin, who was born with a condition that meant she failed to go through male puberty as an adolescent because her testosterone levels were too low, won the award in late September without major fanfare. But when controversial columnist Katie Hopkins responded negatively on Twitter earlier this month, it sparked a raft of vitriol on social media against Blythin.While the furore did not necessarily surprise Blythin, it was all the more shocking to her given the support she had received from friends, family and many in the cricket community.”From obviously reading media stories you know that that kind of mentality is out there,” Blythin told Sky Sports. “There are people who just don’t like you because you’re different or you don’t fit into their binary norms that they see.”You get a lot of hate mail, some more extreme than others. It’s probably the hardest thing, I think, for someone like me to experience because because it’s someone saying, ‘you are not valid, I get to decide who you are, not you’, without any understanding of the biology behind it, the science behind it, and just in general how your brain works.”My friends have all been accepting. My family, with some time, were very accepting. At work I’ve never had any issues, on the sporting field, not a single comment, no issues. In just general life, going to the shops, going anywhere, not a single issue at any stage. I’ve just been living my life being a normal human, going to work, going to the shops, paying taxes.”Blythin paid tribute to Kent captain and England opener Tammy Beaumont, who was quick to throw her support behind Blythin in a series of Tweets aimed at Hopkins, including one which said: “Personally I’m proud to call her my team-mate and my friend. So please attempt [sic] don’t speak for me or my ovaries.”Blythin said she had spoken with Beaumont since to tell her how much she appreciated her support.”Having someone who openly shows her support despite knowing what backlash you could get from it, from people who just don’t know anything about the story, anything about biology, anything about who I am or what I’m doing, is very brave of Tammy and something I appreciate a lot,” Blythin said. The story did raise more nuanced debate surrounding possible physical advantages Blythin may possess over other women competing with or against her, especially that she is more than six feet tall. As an opening batsman, she helped Kent win the Women’s County Championship this year, finishing her debut season as the county’s third-highest run scorer.Asked whether she had any physical attributes which might prove to be an advantage, Blythin said: “Nothing particularly, only the differences you get in humans in general.”There are girls in my team who are a lot stronger than I am, there are girls with longer arm spans than I do, girls with bigger hands than I do, just in my own team, never mind the teams I play with or against. I’ve just got some naturally good bits, ie. tall is beneficial for some things, but I’ve got very thin arms.”In my family I’m not considered abnormal. I’ve got a tall dad, a tall mum. I’m quite normal sized for my family. My sister is pretty tall as well.”While the ECB’s playing regulations allow Blythin to play women’s cricket simply by identifying as transgender, she would have to meet the ICC’s more rigorous standards if she were ever selected to play for England, which includes a limit on testosterone levels. However, she said she would welcome the opportunity if it came along.”If I was invited to, it would be the biggest privilege of my life,” she said. “Speaking to people who have played at that level, even if it’s just for one game, it’s one of the biggest occasions of their sporting lives. I’d 100 percent say yes. I’m not expecting it but I would say yes.”Blythin also has a condition called gender dysphoria, where a person experiences discomfort or distress because their biological sex does not equate with their gender identity and she remembers feeling that way “before I can remember other memories”.”The first thing I can remember as a kid is thinking that way,” Blythin said. Throughout my adolescence, my childhood, I always had that feeling of being different but without the way to articulate, without the knowledge to know where I stood.”Back then, parents weren’t given that kind of information, that kind of story was not easily accessible. You didn’t have trans role models, you didn’t have anything like that, so being able to articulate who you are was not easy.”Describing her experience of gender dysphoria, Blythin told Sky: “It’s a feeling of disgust, a really hurtful feeling … my best way is to ask what makes a man. If you come back and tell me it’s what’s in your trousers, you’ve not grasped what being a man is.”You have to look inside yourself and really think. Now, imagine you’re a man in a woman’s body – but you’re still thinking about what makes you who you are. To then have that body stare back at you in the mirror… that’s the easiest way to explain it.”Asked to describe herself, Blythin said: “A woman, simple as. I always have felt that way, I’ve always wanted to articulate it as such.”

Marsh confirms he is not ready to play yet but should be right for Australia’s World Cup opener “barring any setbacks”

Alex Malcolm02-May-2024Australia’s new T20I captain Mitchell Marsh has confirmed his recovery from a hamstring “is on track” despite initially taking longer than expected, although he admits he can’t afford a setback in the build-up in Australia’s first World Cup match against Oman on June 6 in Barbados.Marsh has not played since his last appearance for Delhi Capitals in the IPL on April 3 due to a right hamstring strain. He was flown home from the IPL to Perth on April 12 to do his initial recovery with Australia team physiotherapist Nick Jones, who is also based in Perth.Two weeks later, Capitals confirmed he would miss the remainder of the IPL after Marsh’s initial recovery from the injury had taken longer than anticipated.Related

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Speaking in Perth on Thursday after being confirmed as Australia’s captain for the World Cup, Marsh said he was still working back to full fitness but was confident he would be right for the World Cup.”The hammy is good, it’s coming along really well,” Marsh said. “It’s pretty much exactly where we want it to be. It’s one of those things. Just got to get it right over the next three weeks and get on the plane.”If we had to play tomorrow, I would be in a bit of trouble. Still a couple of weeks away, and the timing probably sits perfectly barring any setbacks.”Marsh’s hamstring concern is part of the reason why Cameron Green has been included in the 15-man squad ahead of the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk. If Marsh needs to play as a batter only or needs to be managed early in the tournament and anything were to happen to the other injury-prone pace-bowling allrounder in Marcus Stoinis, Australia would not have had a pace-bowling option to bat in their top seven.”Anytime there’s a World Cup team picked, there’s only 15 and some guys have to miss out,” Marsh said. “But I think we’ve got a really great squad that we’ve picked, we’ve got a lot of versatility, a lot of experience. And that brings a lot of excitement.”Australia T20I captain Mitchell Marsh poses in their new jersey for the T20 World Cup•Cricket Australia

Australia are holding two separate training camps in Brisbane across each of the next two weeks for the players who aren’t playing in the IPL. Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis and Marsh will head there to get some nets and fitness preparation done before heading to the Caribbean. Marsh is a chance to be at both camps but would likely be on light duties for the first one. Others who missed out on the squad but could still be taken as a travelling reserve, including Xavier Bartlett, are also likely to be involved. Bartlett is set to head to England for the T20 Blast at the end of May.Australia’s other major fitness concern heading to the World Cup is David Warner, who is still recovering from some deep bone bruising in his finger after copping a blow on the hand while batting against Lucknow Super Giants on April 12. He missed a game and then returned to play against Sunrisers Hyderabad but was still experiencing soreness and hasn’t played since. It is understood he could return to batting later this week but Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey was unsure when he would be pain-free again.”It’s still causing him a fair bit of discomfort,” Bailey said on Wednesday. “So obviously we’ll monitor that. Hopefully, he can get back and play a couple more games in the IPL to finish off, but I think it’s just one of those ones, just some deep-seated bone bruising and is going to take a little bit of time.”But I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to give him a really definitive answer on how long that’ll be.”Marsh has backed Warner to be a vital cog in Australia’s campaign in what will be his swansong from international cricket after retiring from Test and ODI cricket earlier this year.”It’s been a long last hurrah, hasn’t it for Davey?” Marsh said. “We’re always really excited to have him in the team. Just the experience that he brings. I think if we look back at his career. There’s been so many big moments that you need your big experienced players to stand up and Davey has always been one of those. So we’re lucky to have him.”

USA and Canada will also face off in five games in April

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2024Bangladesh will tour the USA for a three-match T20I series in May, ahead of the T20 World Cup. The two sides have never played a T20I against each other before and will use the series to prepare for the flagship tournament co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.USA will also play Canada in a five-match T20I series in April. All the games will be hosted by Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, Texas.Bangladesh have played two T20Is in the USA across their history, both against West Indies, in 2018, and with the first two games of the campaign – against Sri Lanka and South Africa – scheduled in Dallas and New York respectively – a series going into the tournament will help them get used to the conditions.”For the Bangladesh Team, this tour serves as an ideal platform to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024,” Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, CEO, Bangladesh Cricket Board, said. “We recognise the significance of this preparatory phase and are committed to making the most of this invaluable experience.”

USA vs Bangladesh T20I fixtures

• 1st T20I 21st May

• 2nd T20I 23rd May

• 3rd T20I 25th May

Bangladesh were knocked out in the group stages of the previous T20 World Cup and will hope to put on an improved show after an indifferent ODI World Cup.USA and Canada, who are set to feature in the tournament for the first time – will kick off proceedings in Dallas on June 1. The fives T20Is USA have played in the last two years all came in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in July 2022. The only T20Is Canada played in the last year were in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final, which they won to qualify for the World Cup.

USA vs Canada T20I fixtures

• 1st T20I 7th April

• 2nd T20I 9th April

• 3rd T20I 10th April

• 4th T20I 12th April

• 5th T20I 13th April

“Ahead of the important Men’s T20 World Cup, these games will be vital for our team to get their working combinations, build team cohesion, and fine-tune strategies,” said Mr. Venu Pisike, Chairman of USA Cricket.Canada and USA are part of Group A – along with India, Ireland, and Pakistan – in the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh are part of group D, and will play against Nepal and Netherlands in Kingstown in the West Indies.

Displaces Hazlewood at the top of the ICC rankings following his ten-wicket haul at the Asia Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2023Mohammed Siraj is back as the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world following his spectacular show in the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka on Sunday. This is the second time Siraj has been at the top of the table, having previously held the position between January and March 2023 before being displaced by Josh Hazlewood.Siraj has climbed eight positions to the summit of the rankings following his Asia Cup haul of ten wickets at an average of 12.20. The highlight of that performance was the spell of 6 for 21 that dismantled Sri Lanka for 50 all out in the final. That spell – “like a dream”, according to Siraj – included a four-wicket over, a feat only achieved three times in men’s ODI history before.

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Performances at the Asia Cup also took Afghanistan spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman (No. 4) and Rashid Khan (No. 5) into the top five. They took two wickets apiece in the group stage. Hazlewood (second) and Trent Boult (third) complete the top five.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Kuldeep Yadav, who took nine wickets at the Asia Cup with an average of 11.44 has dropped three places from sixth to ninth. Keshav Maharaj moves up from 25th to 15th after helping South Africa complete a 3-2 turnaround from 0-2 down against Australia. He took eight wickets in the series at 16.87 apiece, including 4 for 33 in the series decider.

Klaasen breaks into top ten

South Africa batter Heinrich Klaasen produced a blistering 83-ball 174 against Australia in the fourth ODI, and as a result has jumped twenty places to No. 9 on the ICC rankings for ODI batters. It was a record-breaking innings in the sense that no batter has ever scored as many runs in an ODI innings at the strike rate of Klaasen’s (204) previously.Over in England, Dawid Malan has moved to a career-best 13th in ODIs after top-scoring (277 runs) in the home ODI series against New Zealand. He averaged 92.33 with a strike rate of 105.72 and is currently the highest-ranked England batter. Ben Stokes jumped up to 36th after his blistering 182 at the Oval. The top three positions remain with Babar Azam, Shubman Gill and Rassie Van der Dussen following the latest update.

Under-16 tournament for women, last staged by Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) in 2006, also brought back

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2022The BCCI is set to bring back the Duleep Trophy – in a zonal format – and the Irani Cup to a full-fledged 2022-23 senior men’s domestic calendar that is set to begin in early September. The board has also added a number of women’s competitions this upcoming season, most significantly an Under-16 tournament.The Ranji Trophy, which is tentatively slated between December 2022 and February 2023, is likely to follow both the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s (October-November) and the Vijay Hazare Trophy (November-December). India’s premier first-class competition will revert to its old format of having four elite pools and a plate division, with an elite team likely to get at least seven group games.For the first time ever, the Ranji Trophy had to be completely abandoned in 2020-21 because of the impact of Covid-19. It returned the next season but was held as a truncated tournament, with Madhya Pradesh beating Mumbai in the final to win their first championship.Related

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India’s domestic calendar for 2022-23 – accessed by ESPNcricinfo – was presented by Abey Kuruvilla, the BCCI general manager, to the operations team at the apex council meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. This is still a tentative schedule with a final call on it expected soon.Meanwhile, the Under-16 tournament for women that was last staged by the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) in 2006 has been brought back now in preparation for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Under-19 World Cup to be played in the T20 format in January 2023 in South Africa.”The under-16 is a very important tournament,” India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana said. “I remember when I was 10-11 [years old] and trying to make it to the Under-19s, I was told I was too young.”A lot of girls in the age group have started to play cricket, and there is an opportunity now for them to play in the Under-16s and then graduate to the Under-19s. That way they have two tournaments to prepare themselves for the U-19 World Cup.”Equally significant is the reintroduction of the women’s zonal competition – in both T20 and 50-over format – for the seniors after a five-year gap. There is also a T20 and 50-over competition for the Under-23s to ensure players who miss the bus at the Under-19s have another level to aim for.”I personally enjoyed playing in the zonal competition; this is amazing news,” Mandhana said. “I have great memories of playing for West Zone. It helped me improve as a cricketer.”We had zonal tournaments both at the Under-19s and at seniors, where having just five teams after going through the full domestic season elevated the standard of cricket. I’m happy that it is coming back.”The addition of several new tournaments to the women’s calendar will also help the BCCI test the waters further as they build towards a Women’s IPL, work for which is underway according to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. The matter is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI Annual General Meeting in September.

Callum Ferguson’s half-century and good spells from Daniel Sams and Tanveer Sangha go in vain for Sydney Thunder

Alex Malcolm12-Dec-2020Marcus Stoinis returned to his best with a blistering half-century and Adam Zampa returned remarkable figures of 2 for 10 from four overs as the Melbourne Stars announced themselves as one of the favourites for the BBL title with a second convincing win in two days, this time against the Sydney Thunder in Canberra.Stoinis, coming off three ducks in his four previous innings, clubbed 61 from 37 balls to help set up a winning total on a slow, used, spinning pitch. Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell threatened to pile up a massive total but Maxwell’s dismissal for 39 sparked a collapse, with the Stars losing 5 for 34. Australian Under-19 legspinner Tanveer Sangha took 2 for 26 on debut and held his nerve as Maxwell tried every trick in his arsenal. Daniel Sams closed out the innings taking 2 for 24.The Thunder were always behind the rate in the chase despite a classy half-century from skipper Callum Ferguson. But with Zampa producing a mesmerising spell of legspin and Liam Hatcher claiming 3 for 28 in his first appearance for the Stars, the Thunder were always behind, even though Dilbar Hussain limped off with a hamstring injury.Stoinis surges
Stoinis was the leading run-scorer in last year’s BBL but his form leading into this game had been startling. In his last four innings across the IPL, ODI, T20I and BBL cricket, he had scored two golden ducks and a second-ball duck. But he made amends against the Thunder. Predictably, they attacked him with spin in the powerplay, and he answered with two fours and two sixes, launching Chris Green over mid-off twice. Stoinis hit the ball with extraordinary power throughout. He got Green again with a sublime flick through midwicket to bring up his 50 from just 29 balls. With the help of Maxwell, Stoinis pushed the Stars to 1 for 92 off the first ten overs.Marcus Stoinis celebrates his half-century•Getty Images

Three new rules but no DRS
The implementation of the new rules in the BBL has caused much debate but there is no debate about the dire need for the DRS. The Stars fell victim to two critical lbw decisions that would have been overturned had the DRS been in place and it potentially cost them a score in excess of 180. Firstly, Andre Fletcher was given out lbw to 19-year-old debutant Tanveer Sangha in the fifth over, but the ball was clearly missing leg and Fletcher wanted to review before realising the DRS wasn’t in place. Sangha bowled superbly taking 2 for 26 from his first four overs in the BBL. The second decision cost the Stars more dearly. Stoinis holed out in the 11th over for 61 but Maxwell held the key to the last ten overs and he took the Power Surge in the 14th over on a surface that was slowing by the minute. They lost Hilton Cartwright in the first over of the Power Surge but Maxwell’s dismissal in the 15th saw the Stars’ run rate hit a brick wall. He was given out lbw to Green, who was bowling around the wicket. There was no doubt it was hitting middle but it pitched just outside leg. The Stars lost 5 for 34 in the last 33 balls of the innings, with Ben Dunk the only player to find the boundary. Sams took two wickets in the final over but oddly only bowled three overs coming off his international debut for Australia.Bad things come in threes
The Thunder’s rub of the green with the ball was nullified with the bat as Usman Khawaja fell victim to another decision that would have been overturned had the DRS been in place. Khawaja tried to lap Hussain and was given out caught behind. The ball appeared to have come off the pad. It stalled the Thunder’s momentum after Alex Hales had made a fast start. He and Ferguson faced 17 dot balls between them in the next 7.3 overs and the Thunder fell 24 runs short of the Power Boost point.Ferguson fifty in vain
Hussain’s injury left Maxwell with two overs to fill and Ferguson and Hales took advantage. They hammered 24 runs off Cartwright’s first two overs, including two huge sixes. Hales holed out off Clint Hinchliffe for a laboured 46 off 41 but Ferguson kept rolling, reaching 50 from 33 balls with the Thunder needing a manageable 61 from 35 to win the game. But Ferguson holed out off Hatcher shortly after. Hatcher held his nerve in the critical overs that Hussain would have bowled. Maxwell turned to him in the first over of the Power Surge. He had two catches dropped off the first two balls of the 17th over but the substitute Tom O’Connell held on to the third to remove the dangerous Ben Cutting. Sams was caught at cover next ball to end Thunder hopes. Zampa, meanwhile, showed why he remains Australia’s best T20 spinner, delivering 15 dot balls and not conceding a boundary.