All posts by n8rngtd.top

The outfield for the ground’s first game of the BBL season came in for significant criticism with the tournament boss saying it was “presented poorly”

AAP24-Dec-2024Cricket Australia will consider avoiding Marvel Stadium until later in the summer in future BBL seasons, as Melbourne Renegades great Aaron Finch called for the club to weigh up abandoning the venue for Geelong.Finch was among those to be scathing of the venue on Tuesday when the Renegades’ Monday-night win over Perth Scorchers was overshadowed by a patchy-looking outfield. The pitch also proved difficult to bat on after the roof was closed for two days due to wet weather, with Scorchers struggling to score early.Related

• McSweeney seals thriller for Heat days after Test omission

• Rogers, middle order help Renegades edge past Scorchers despite late hiccups

The issue came just two days after similar issues at Sydney’s Engie Stadium where large parts of dirt didn’t have any grass covering during the Sydney Smash.Both grounds are multi-purpose venues with Pearl Jam concerts having headlined a raft of events to have fallen between the AFL and BBL seasons. An annual RMIT university graduation was also held at Marvel Stadium last Wednesday, before Monday’s match.”Marvel was shocking last night. I was out on the ground and it was slippery,” former Renegades and Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch said on ESPN’s . “There has to be questions, are Marvel Stadium serious about hosting cricket.”Because each and every year the first couple of games the same thing happens there. If they’re not interested in hosting cricket, take it somewhere else. Take it to Geelong, they’ll have it.”BBL boss Alistair Dobson also admitted on Tuesday he was “disappointed”, conceding the ground was “presented poorly”.”By and large they present good outfields and good wickets, particularly as we get further into the season,” Dobson said on SEN. “That [multi-purpose aspect] does come with some trade offs, but we don’t expect it to be the size of the trade off we saw last night.”Dobson said his organisation was open to not scheduling BBL games at Marvel Stadium until close to January in the future, if it would ensure a better surface. But in reality that would cause more issues with the MCG also offline in the lead up to and during the Boxing Day Test.”Last night would certainly give us cause to reflect on that and whether we schedule in a different way going forward,” Dobson said. “The trade off on that though is you end up with a lot of games of BBL in a short period. It’s a balance between the best possible preparation and spacing games out to give fans a chance to go.”The other concern for CA is the way the poor outfields showcase the BBL overseas, in a summer where crowds and TV ratings are up by 30 percent domestically.AAP has been told Finch’s proposed full-time Geelong move is unlikely, given officials believe Melbourne needs two teams to service it both on and off the field.Dobson also rejected any suggestion the Renegades should abandon Marvel Stadium and join Melbourne Stars at the MCG.”We have two clubs in Melbourne that have different identities and different fan bases and different history,” Dobson said. “The Melbourne Stars are iconic to the MCG and the Renegades are keen to have a point of difference on that.”

Four players who were not part of any international cricket in 2024 have been called up to the squad

Danyal Rasool30-Jun-2024Nida Dar has survived a dip in personal form as well as team results to retain the captaincy of Pakistan for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. There are notable omissions and additions to the team that went winless on their T20I and ODI tour of England last month, with batters Ayesha Zafar and Sadaf Shamas notable absentees.The 15-member squad for the tournament, which will be held in Dambulla in Sri Lanka, from July 19 to July 28, also sees Natalia Pervaiz, Rameen Shamim, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar left out, while four players who weren’t part of any international cricket in 2024 get call-ups. Batting allrounder Iram Javed, who hasn’t played T20I cricket since Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh last year is back in the squad, while Omaima Sohail and Syeda Aroob Shah come back for the first time since Pakistan’s tours against New Zealand and South Africa respectively last year. Tasmia Rubab, the 22-year-old left-arm fast bowler, considered a rising star within Pakistan’s bowling ranks, comes into the international fold for the first time.Related

• Women's Asia Cup 2024: Key contests, the return of Nepal, and everything else

• Mohammad Wasim named Pakistan Women head coach for Asia Cup

The large number of changes to a women’s squad borders on unprecedented in Pakistan cricket, and could potentially represent a shake-up of the core of the women’s side going forward. Pakistan recently announced a new head coach for the tournament, with Mohammad Wasim given the reins, while Junaid Khan will serve as assistant coach and Abdur Rehman as spin-bowling coach. They have, however, not been given long-term roles, and are at present slated to serve for just the Asia Cup.The squad was announced following a four-day camp in Karachi, which concluded on June 29, with another one to follow in the same city from July 5 to July 16.Pakistan have endured deteriorating results consistently for the last 18 months, with T20I series wins against South Africa at home and New Zealand away aberrations to the larger trend. The recent home series against West Indies saw the visitors win seven of the eight games, while Pakistan went winless across formats in England in May.In late 2022, former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja originally promised that a women’s T20 league would be held in Pakistan, but the administrative flux that followed saw him removed two months later; three different men as served as chair since. Actual progress, consequently, has stalled, as three exhibition matches held concurrently with the PSL in 2023 were not followed up by any further games this year. Despite multiple players of the women’s side repeatedly calling for a women’s T20 league, promises to hold such an event remain decidedly vague.

Pakistan squad for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024

Nida Dar (capt), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan

Adam Lyth’s 97 helps hosts reach 276 for 3 from 59 overs possible on first day

ECB Reporters Network26-Apr-2024Yorkshire 276 for 3 (Lyth 97, Root 65*, Brook 44*, Masood 40) vs DerbyshireEngland duo Joe Root and Harry Brook shared an entertaining and unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 71 as Yorkshire dominated Derbyshire on day one of the Vitality County Championship clash at Headingley.Root and Brook came together during the afternoon with the score at 205 for 3 after Yorkshire had been inserted at the start of this Division Two fixture, and they built on the early good work of in-form opener Adam Lyth, who made 97, to help their county close the day on 276 for 3 from 59 overs.When bad light intervened just before 4pm – there was no further play as rain followed – Root was 65 not out and Brook 44.Root was accumulative in 99 balls and Brook much more aggressive – savage even – in 37 against a wilting Derbyshire attack, frustrated by four dropped catches either side of lunch, including Lyth on 22 and 80.All of the catches went down behind the wicket, three in the slips, and it could have been a completely different story had Derbyshire been able to expose Yorkshire’s superstar duo to a much newer ball.The two counties came into this fixture level on 28 points after three games towards the foot of the table. Yorkshire had drawn two and lost one, the latter against Middlesex at Lord’s last week. Derbyshire had drawn all three.Batting was not easy in overcast conditions with movement through the air and off the pitchDespite creating chances, Derbyshire weren’t at their best with the ball, offering up too many boundary opportunities.Their former overseas player Shan Masood, Yorkshire’s captain, hit 10 fours in a 25-ball 40, for example.The first wicket to fall had a whiff of controversy about it. Fin Bean was trapped lbw by Anuj Dal for 18 – 46 for 1 at the start of the 15th over – the ball after he had picked up three to long-on at the end of the previous over.Replays have shown that fielder Pat Brown slid into the rope trying to save the boundary, but the call of three runs stood. Had it been given four, Bean would not have been on strike to the ball he fell to.In the grand scheme of the day, it mattered little as Bean’s opening partner, Lyth, led the way on Yorkshire’s dominant day.Lyth was strong on both sides of the wicket in hitting 15 fours in 157 balls, narrowly missing out on a third century in four Championship matches this season when he edged Zak Chappell behind, leaving Yorkshire 205 for 3 in the afternoon.Chappell was one of the Derbyshire bowlers taken to task by Masood during an action-packed morning. At one stage, he hit seven fours in 10 balls across two overs from Dal and Chappell, taking Yorkshire to 89 for 1 after 20 overs. Masood then edged left-arm seamer Luis Reece’s second ball to second slip – 92 for 2 in the 22nd.From there, Lyth and Root shared 113 inside 27 overs for the third wicket.Root’s innings was in complete contrast to Masood’s as he hit just two fours by the time he reached 40.Later, Brook was even more aggressive than Masood. He drove with power and precision and lofted Reece for a straight six.Not that Root was completely becalmed. Having reached an 86-ball fifty during the latter stages of the afternoon, he reverse swept Alex Thomson’s off-spin for four.The weather came less than two overs later, at least giving Derbyshire some respite.

Dulip Samaraweera had been handed the role in early May and will now be replaced by Andrew Christie

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2024The head coach of the Victoria women’s team, Dulip Samaraweera, has resigned after just two weeks in the role after being denied an appointment he wanted to make to his staff due to the state’s policies.Samaraweera, who played seven Tests and five ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1994, had been appointed on a two-year deal earlier in May after being the interim head coach since Jarrad Loughman left the role last November.”During the recruitment process Dulip had expressed a desire to make a specific coaching appointment in his support team,” Cricket Victoria CEO Nick Cummins said.”That appointment was unable to be facilitated due to internal policies we have in place. Following further conversations, Dulip decided he would prefer not to remain in the role.”Samaraweera will be replaced by Andrew Christie, Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL assistant coach, who had been part of the interviews for the initial job. Christie joined Cricket Victoria in 2021 leading the female emerging player program.

AB de Villiers is “not picking and choosing” the Tests he plays, according to CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2017AB de Villiers will not be able to pick and choose the Tests he wishes to play, according to CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat. And once de Villiers does return to the format, Lorgat said, he will not have the luxury of taking time off when he wanted.On Tuesday, de Villiers said he would not be available for selection for the Test series in New Zealand in March, and that limited-overs cricket was a priority for him in order to play the 2019 World Cup. De Villiers said he was not retiring from Test cricket but was not yet ready to return to the format. Having been out of action since August last year because of an elbow injury, he said he was fit again and going to play the third T20I against Sri Lanka on January 25.”This is a plan that we had six months ago. It’s just a case of when he starts or when he returns,” Lorgat said. “Because once he starts, there’s no stopping and no time off. When you play, you play continuously. So he’s not picking and choosing. These are deliberate discussions that we’re having and which will continue.”ODI cricket is the focus because he’s the captain. Test cricket is different. We’ve got a settled team, we’ve got the resources to go through. If he was not the captain of the ODI team it might have been different. Same with T20s – we’ve got enough talent there and he’s not leading the side. But with respect to ODIs, he will play every ODI because he’s the captain.”Lorgat said de Villiers’ decision to not play the Tests in New Zealand was no surprise because of the discussions they had been having in which the 2019 World Cup was a top priority.Under Faf du Plessis’ leadership and in de Villiers’ absence, South Africa won their two most recent series – first in Australia and then at home against Sri Lanka. That form will also shape the nature of de Villiers’ return.”I’m most satisfied by the kind of conversations we’re having with him,” Lorgat said. “He’s clear about when he’s going to be ready and when he’s not ready. His clarity is important because then selectors are aware and we move on. You’ve seen what’s happened in the last few months. We’ve built the team without AB, and that’s a very big positive. The absence of AB has allowed others to step up, and we’ve developed other players. It’s fantastic from my point of view that we have more than 11 that can take the field and be a winning formula.”Lorgat was confident that de Villiers would be ready to play the Tests in the summer in England, but said that his return would be dependent on the form of the players in the squad at the time. “If the selectors and the team feel that they have a winning team going, AB is fully aware that it’s the selectors that will determine whether he comes back into the team or not.”

The second season of the ILT20 begins on January 19

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2024 • Updated on 15-Jan-2024Mitchell McClenaghan, a four-time IPL champion with Mumbai Indians, has been appointed bowling coach of MI Emirates, their ILT20 affiliate. It will be McClenaghan’s first major role as a coach, having last played professionally in 2021. He represented New Zealand in 48 ODIs and 29 T20Is picking up 82 and 30 wickets respectively.McClenaghan will work under Robin Singh, who has been appointed head coach after he spent the ILT20’s first season as MI Emirates’ general manager. Singh, who stepped down as UAE men’s coach last year, replaces Shane Bond who has left Mumbai’s global network and has taken over at Paarl Royals in the SA20.Ajay Jadeja, who spent the 2023 World Cup as Afghanistan’s mentor, has also joined MI Emirates’ backroom staff as batting coach. Vinay Kumar (assistant coach) and James Franklin (fielding coach) will continue in their roles from the ILT20’s inaugural season.MI Emirates recently announced that Nicholas Pooran will be their captain this season, joining after a short stint with Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20. They will be without Kieron Pollard, who led them to a third-placed finish last season, who has replaced the injured Rashid Khan as MI Cape Town captain.Several other ILT20 franchises have changed their coaches ahead of the 2024 season, which starts on January 19. Johan Botha has replaced Paul Farbrace at Sharjah Warriors, with compatriot JP Duminy due to work as his assistant. Tom Kohler-Cadmore, the English wicketkeeper-batter, replaces Moeen Ali as captain.Elsewhere, Hemang Badani has taken over from Phil Simmons as Dubai Capitals coach. Badani, who has recently worked with the Sunrisers franchises in both the IPL and the SA20, recently coached India Capitals in the Legends League, who like Dubai Capitals are owned by GMR Group.Andy Flower is due to continue as coach of defending champions Gulf Giants, while James Foster remains in charge of last year’s runners-up, Desert Vipers. *Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, who were coached by Abhishek Nayar last season, have brought in former India bowling coach B Arun to be their head coach.*Jan 15: This story was updated with information about the ADKR coaching staff

They had different players stepping up in their victories, but no one had more impact than Orla Prendergast

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2024Ireland women completed a landmark 3-0 sweep of the T20I series in Bangladesh, clinching the final game of the series in a last-over thriller.Their victories over Bangladesh across the three games – by 12 runs, 47 runs and four wickets respectively – completed a superb turnaround after their 0-3 ODI-series blanking earlier in the tour. This morale-boosting series win in the subcontinent also came at the perfect time, with an ODI tour of India coming up in January 2025.Allrounder Orla Prendergast, Ireland’s star with the ball on the series, finished with ten wickets that included two three-fors and a career-best 4 for 22 in the final game.”We showed just how good a side we are in each of those three games,” Prendergast said while collecting the Player-of-the-Series award after Ireland’s nerve-racking chase. “And what a finish, that’s the best way to finish.”In every game we’ve played, different players have stood up and put their hands up. It’s a great place to be in our squad, to have so many good players throughout our batting line-up and so many bowlers who have come in and change the game.”

Essex’s lead in Division One is a formidable one but Lancashire’s dismissal of bottom club Warwickshire confirmed they cannot be discounted

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2017
Tim Ambrose completed a century before Lancashire’s win•Getty Images

Lancashire completed their sixth Specsavers County Championship victory of the season from 10 matches as they chased down a target of 41 to beat Warwickshire at Emirates Old Trafford.The Red Rose county, second in Division One, boosted their chances of winning a second title in seven years by completing a maximum 24-point win by eight wickets during the fourth afternoon.But they were left waiting to see if Somerset could do them a favour by hanging on for the draw against leaders Essex which would reduce Essex’s lead from 36 points to 25.Tim Ambrose’s 16th career first-class century, an excellent 104 off 198 balls, at least ensured Warwickshire avoided a fifth innings defeat of 2017 as they posted a second-innings total of 344.But, still, their sixth defeat in 10 leaves them in a perilous situation at the bottom of the table, having only taken two points.They are more than 30 points adrift of safety with four games remaining.There was no play possible before lunch due to rain, but play started at 1.10pm with a minimum of 72 overs to be bowled.The Bears started on 275 for 6 in their second innings, trailing by 29, with Ambrose unbeaten on 76 and Jeetan Patel 18. Ambrose reached his ton off 156 balls in the 88th over, the third over of play, as the pair shared a stand of 86 inside 20 overs.That partnership was ended when home captain Ryan McLaren trapped Patel lbw for 30. Kyle Jarvis then bowled Chris Wright with one that kept a touch low in the next over to leave the score at 326 for 8.Warwickshire were helped along by the addition of five penalty runs when a Matthew Parkinson delivery beat everyone in his first over of the day, including batsman Olly Stone, and hit the helmet placed behind wicketkeeper Alex Davies.But the leg-spinner struck in his second, the 103rd of the innings, when he had Ambrose lbw with 339 on the board, a lead of 35.Jarvis wrapped up the innings with his eighth wicket of the match when he uprooted Ryan Sidebottom’s middle and off stumps in the next over, leaving Lancashire with 51 overs to chase their target.Alex Davies took two boundaries off Keith Barker’s first over, but he fell lbw to the same bowling in the fifth. Haseeb Hameed launched Patel’s off-spin for six over long-on, but he was also lbw in Barker’s next over for 21 before victory was secured.