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South Africa’s stuttering one-day form hit another low point with their comprehensive 39-run defeat against England

Andrew McGlashan at Kensington Oval08-May-2010South Africa’s stuttering one-day form hit another low point with their comprehensive 39-run defeat against England and it left Graeme Smith fuming at the basic errors made in the field. The reversal leaves them facing a crucial match against Pakistan in St Lucia on Monday if they want to progress to the semi-finals and on this effort that is anything but certain.After an efficient performance against New Zealand two nights ago South Africa reverted to the indifferent form that has plagued their displays in coloured clothes since last year’s World Twenty20 in England, where they reached the semi-finals. Since then they have been dumped out of the first round of the Champions Trophy on home soil, shared the Twenty20 series with England, lost the ODI contest and also pulled up short in India.What made it even more frustrating for Smith was that they created chances but a combination of bowling and fielding errors meant they didn’t count. Within the space of three deliveries Craig Kieswetter was caught at third man off a Morne Morkel no-ball and Kevin Pietersen edged between Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis. Then, in the 10th over, Kieswetter was given a second life when JP Duminy spilled a simple chance at deep midwicket.”I think the first six overs were especially disappointing,” Smith said. “Basic mistakes, no-balls, and missed chances up-front proved costly for us. We really could have had England three or four down in those first six overs and all the plans we had up-front worked, Morne bowling at Kevin and Kieswetter, they worked for us but basic mistakes allowed them to get a partnership that has proven to be the difference between the two teams.”The game is often about small moments and pressure. We cost ourselves a lot by not being up to those small moments and we allowed England to put us under pressure.”Of particular concern for Smith will be the front-foot problems for Morkel, who has now taken two crucial wickets in this tournament off illegal deliveries. In South Africa’s opening match against India he had Suresh Raina caught at mid-off from a no-ball and the left-hander went on to get a match-winning 101. Kieswetter’s contribution wasn’t so substantial, but the impact on South Africa’s mindset was significant.”It is very frustrating and something we have spoken about,” Smith said. “It seems to come and go, he goes through phases where he doesn’t bowl them and then he goes through phases when he does. I guess it is up to the bowling coach and Morne to get it right.”The problem is that South Africa’s strategy is based around the twin pace threat posed by Morkel and Dale Steyn, although that game-plan may now have to be adjusted for the final group match on the slower surface in St Lucia. “The players are there. It is just about getting it together again,” Smith said.”We proved against New Zealand that we can play to a certain level and be difficult to beat. It is about us regrouping mentally, making sure that tomorrow we work out what went wrong and try and put it right against Pakistan. St Lucia is a very different wicket, a different stadium, so we need to be able to put that into play in those conditions.”Despite the fumbling display in the field South Africa would have been expected to make a better fist of the run chase, but the top order couldn’t find any early momentum and then England’s spinners preyed on the batsmen’s frustrations. “I found the wicket pretty two paced and hard to play freely on,” Smith said.”Everyone of our batters struggled except for JP [Duminy] really. You have to give credit to England’s bowlers. They hit the right areas, they didn’t give us any room, they tucked us up, hit the deck nice and hard, almost the total opposite to the way we bowled in the first six.”

Left-arm quick Josh Little, who is currently with LA Knight Riders in the MLC, is a notable absentee from the Test squad

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2024Uncapped legspinner Gavin Hoey has received his maiden call-up to the Ireland squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which begins on July 25 in Belfast. He will bolster a spin attack that includes left-arm fingerspinner Matthew Humphreys and offspinner Andy McBrine.Theo van Woerkom and George Dockrell made way for Humphreys and Hoey who have just one Test cap between them. Seamer Matthew Foster, who was part of the Ireland squad that had toppled Afghanistan for their first Test win in March earlier this year, also didn’t find a place in this squad.Humphreys had a tough initiation into Test cricket, conceding 67 runs in ten overs on debut against Sri Lanka in Galle last year. His recent form, however, is more encouraging: he bagged 15 wickets in two first-class games for Ireland Emerging side against West Indies Academy at an average of 12.60, including two five-wicket hauls, last month.Related

• Ireland host rusty Zimbabwe at Test cricket's newest venue

• Madande, Bennett, Campbell get maiden Test call-ups for Zimbabwe

“Humphreys made his Test debut in Sri Lanka and found the going difficult against good players of spin out in the subcontinent,” Andrew White, the national selector, said in a statement. “He’d admit himself that he went through a period of a loss of form and maybe a loss of confidence, but he’s worked extremely hard to come back into the reckoning and his performances for Ireland Wolves have been exactly what we were looking for. Obviously in the West Indies last year for Emerging Ireland, then in Nepal, and has now backed it up in the recent series for the Emerging Ireland side against West Indies Academy, where he took 10 wickets. But it’s the consistency he has shown over the last period which has been really pleasing and he very much deserves his call-up.”White also talked up Hoey as an attacking option. “Hoey is a talented legspinner, and his ability to spin the ball both ways gives us a strong wicket-taking option,” he said. “Again, he’s a player that’s been on the radar for a while and can play across all three formats. But this is an opportunity for him to come into the Test squad and get used to the environment.”Left-arm quick Josh Little, who is currently with LA Knight Riders in the USA for the MLC, is a notable absentee from the Test squad. Little has prioritised white-ball cricket, including franchise opportunities, but is passionate about playing Test cricket in the future. While Little is now a regular in T20 leagues around the world, he is yet to make his Test debut.”I sort of blocked off this [next] two years as pretty busy franchise-wise, and then after that I’ll be putting an eye on Test cricket,” Little told . “It’s definitely something I want to do, something I’m passionate about doing. I can guarantee I will play Test cricket at some stage.”I love playing for Ireland, but equally franchise opportunities may not come around forever. It’s tough at times. Cricket Ireland have been nothing but accommodating. Sometimes it is a balancing act.”The one-off Test against Zimbabwe will be PJ Moor’s first international game against his country of birth. Moor had qualified to play for Ireland in October 2022 and was more recently part of the Ireland side, which earned their first Test win, in Abu Dhabi.

Ireland Test squad

Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gavin Hoey, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig YoungIn: Gavin Hoey, Matthew Humphreys
Out: George Dockrell, Matthew Foster, Theo van Woerkom

Women’s retainers are currently at 70 per cent of their male counterparts

AAP04-Apr-2023Cricket is in the box seat to become the first major Australian sport to achieve pay parity at a domestic level, after a landmark deal to significantly increase the earnings of female players.Women emerged as the biggest winners in cricket’s pay deal on Monday, with an extra AU$53 million in the player pool over the next five years and a pay rise of 66 percent.Those winnings will be felt most significantly at domestic level, where the average pay packet will sit at AU$151,000 for players with state and WBBL deals.The majority of dual-format female players will also earn six figures for the first time, with minimum state contracts set at around AU$60,000 and the lowest-paid WBBL player on close to AU$20,000.

How Australian women’s cricket is winning

• Top women’s CA contract holder with a WBBL deal now able to earn AU$800,000

• Next six contracts potential to earn on average AU$500,000

• Minimum and average CA women’s contract increases 25%

• Number of contracts rises from 15 to 18

• Average domestic earnings for a player with WNCL and WBBL contract now AU$151,019

• WBBL salary cap doubles to AU$732,000

• Top WBBL player can earn AU$133,000; average retainer doubles to $54,200

• Two additional state (and ACT) contracts per team

Match payments have also been brought in line with men’s, with a touch over AU$2000 paid per day played, topping up the salaries to the biggest in women’s sport.The figures leave women’s retainers in state contracts at 70 per cent of their male counterparts, with genuine belief parity can be reached in future deals.”We’re on a journey,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said. “We have seen an overall 26 percent increase in player pay, but a 66 percent increase in payments to our female players.”We are on a path, we are not there yet. But we have taken a major step forward in closing the gap.”Both CA and the players’ union will put a focus on trying to further commercialise the game, with a doubling of the WBBL salary cap to AU$732,000 aimed at keeping the best overseas talent.”If we unlock commercialisation, that’s the key,” former Australian star Rachael Haynes said. “If we do that, I think we will get parity.”Enabling players more time to invest in themselves and their game, naturally that will help them get better.”Officials are also predicting multiple female players could crack the AU$1 million mark, when combining their national salaries, WBBL deals and overseas contracts.While national contracts are well below their male counterparts, the top-earning female will now earn AU$800,000 combined from their Australian and WBBL deals, while the next six will average AU$500,000.”I think we’ll have a few of millionaires in the next few years,” Australian Cricketers Association CEO Todd Greenberg said. “And so they should because they’re the best in the world at what they do.”

Cricket Australia is keen to press on despite the situation unlikely to improve in the near future

Tristan Lavalette03-Jan-2022Adelaide Strikers
Strikers have had a disappointing season with just one win from eight games but have thus far not been impacted by Covid-19. They still suffered consecutive defeats to a weakened Sydney Thunder in recent days. Left-arm seamer George Garton will return to the UK as part of England’s T20I squad, but he was, in any case, left out for the loss to Thunder on Sunday after a run of poor form.Brisbane Heat
True to tradition, Heat have had an inconsistent season even though they appear to be rounding into form amid some stability, with no player testing positive to Covid-19. They did, however, lose English import Tom Abell to a knee injury sustained while fielding in his second BBL game of the season. To shore up their batting, Heat have signed Pakistan batter Fakhar Zaman as they eye qualification for the playoffs.Joe Clarke is one of the Stars players to have tested positive for Covid-19•Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes
One of the fancied teams ahead of the season, Hurricanes have only shown glimpses of their potential in a patchy performance so far. They at least don’t have any Covid-19 drama to deal with and their side is stable in what could be an opportunity for them to finally strike consistency.Melbourne Renegades
Renegades have escaped the Covid-19 upheaval engulfing crosstown rival Stars, though they are waiting on a test result for James Pattinson ahead of tonight’s Melbourne derby at the MCG – which is traditionally the highest-attended BBL game annually.The bottom-placed Renegades have received a much-needed boost with Shaun Marsh set to make his season debut against Stars after recovering from a calf injury. Skipper Nic Maddinson will also return after having briefly been part of Australia’s Ashes squad as cover for Travis Head, who tested positive for Covid-19. But they will soon lose Reece Topley, who is part of England’s T20I squad, although he had claimed just two wickets in his last four games.Melbourne Stars
Stars have been clearly the most-affected team, with openers Joe Clarke and Tom Rogers the latest players to test positive for Covid-19. They now have 12 players, who have returned positive tests, while eight staff members remain in isolation. Victoria coach Chris Rogers has had to take the reins alongside Stars WBBL coach Jarrod Loughman and former wicketkeeper Adam Crosthwaite.In their loss to Scorchers on Sunday, Stars played without T20 World Cup heroes Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Joe Burns and Beau Webster. They have also lost star import Andre Russell, whose five-game stint ended against Heat on December 27.It led to the unusual situation of a desperate Stars needing to rush in a host of reinforcements plucked from local cricket in a bid to field a team against Scorchers as their sidelined players undergo a seven-day stint in isolation as per government rules.They gladly welcomed the season debut of Haris Rauf, who claimed 2 for 40 having been a late signing. Former Victoria Sheffield Shield-winning skipper Travis Dean and Pakistan quick Ahmed Daniyal have been named in Stars’ squad of 13 for the derby.Tymal Mills, who has nine wickets from five games, will be returning home•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers
Having been forced to stay permanently on the road because of Western Australia’s strict border controls, Scorchers appeared the team set to be most compromised this season. The recent league-wide developments have changed that, although Scorchers have not been unaffected, with batter Nick Hobson testing positive and quick Matt Kelly omitted as a close contact.It threatens to unsettle the three-time champions, who stormed to the top of the ladder with seven wins from eight games despite just one fixture at their Optus Stadium fortress. And their depth will be further tested with star quick Tymal Mills, who has claimed nine wickets from five games, part of England’s T20I squad, while Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis have been called into Australia’s Ashes squad.Sydney Sixers
Sixers have not been hit like the other Sydney team, Thunder, with none of their players currently sidelined. But the two-time defending champions, currently second on the ladder, will bid farewell to James Vince, who is part of England’s tour of the Caribbean. However, he has had a lean season with just 144 runs from seven innings and a top score of 44 achieved in the season opener against Stars. Jackson Bird is available again after injury.Sydney Thunder
Thunder have been the second-most-affected team with key players Alex Hales, Alex Ross, Tanveer Sangha and Sam Whiteman testing positive. It forced them to bolster their squad with the additions of former Thunder player Arjun Nair and NSW Sheffield Shield batter Lachlan Hearne. Thunder have also been further shorthanded by Sam Billings and quick Saqib Mahmood heading home to the UK.They did receive a boost with Pakistan import Mohammad Hasnain starring in his BBL debut with a triple-wicket maiden in his opening over in the win over Strikers on Sunday. Despite the adversity, as they proved in consecutive wins over Strikers, Thunder loom as the team best placed to challenge league leaders Scorchers and Sixers.

The vice-captain has been a success opening the innings but would be content in the middle order

Andrew McGlashan06-May-2020Australia Women’s vice-captain Rachael Haynes is willing to take on any role asked of her at next year’s ODI World Cup even it means giving up the opening position where she made her maiden century at the start of the last season.In three matches against Sri Lanka, which were the only ODIs Australia played during their summer as they focused on the T20 World Cup, Haynes scored 56, 118 and 63 while opening alongside Alyssa Healy, having initially returned to the team in 2017 in a middle-order capacity after a four-year absence.But whether she retains that role for the World Cup in New Zealand next year – an event that now has some doubt around it due to the Covid-19 pandemic – remains to be seen after national selector Shawn Flegler said he was not wedded to a particular combination at this stage.ALSO READ: Covid-19 crisis could force Australian players to be more self-reliantHaynes has an impressive record in a variety of roles, averaging 37.92 opening the batting and 33.13 at No. 5 where she has batted 17 times in ODIs.”Since I’ve come back into the team, especially in the ODI set-up, I’ve played different roles – had a role at the top of the order alongside Alyssa Healy and also through the middle as well,” Haynes said. “I don’t have my heart set on one position in particular but I certainly feel as a batter that’s what I bring, flexibility in terms of what Matthew [Mott] and Meg [Lanning] would like the line-up to look like.Rachael Haynes celebrates her maiden ODI century•Getty Images

“We’ve got Ellyse Perry coming back from injury as well and by all accounts she’s tracking really well so that might come into the decision-making as well. From my point of view I’ll certainly fill whatever role Meg and Motty think is best for the team.”Beth Mooney opens alongside Healy in T20Is and added 115 for the first wicket in the T20 World Cup final against India. She averages 35.36 as an ODI opener but 47.89 in the middle-order roles at Nos. 5 and 6. It would appear that Meg Lanning and Perry are locked in for the three and four positions although Perry’s recovery from hamstring surgery may yet leave it tight for the ODI series against New Zealand in September should that go ahead as scheduled.”I don’t think it’s been 100% decided,” Flegler said of the batting order. “Beth Mooney has been unbelievable in domestic cricket and has a great record in T20 internationals for the past few years. Sophie Molineux is another option, we love the left-right combination. I think our No. 3 and No.4 with Meg and Ellyse, depending on when Ellyse comes back we might need to change it up a little.”Most of Australia’s focus last season was on the T20 World Cup, but if the pandemic allows next summer to go ahead as planned, a change of format does not necessarily mean a vast change in thinking.”We’ve had some great success in this format of the game. In terms of a game plan and how we take on that format, it doesn’t change too much,” Haynes said. “We want to make sure we’re nice and attacking and aggressive with bat or ball and take the game on.”That’s been our blueprint over the last couple of years and seen us have an enormous amount of success. So I’d definitely like our team to continue that and push what’s possible in terms of our game, the scores we can put out, and what we can defend as well.”

West Indie level series with England 1-1

The Report by Valkerie Baynes22-Feb-2019
Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentaryShimron Hetmyer’s century set the stage for West Indies, while Sheldon Cottrell drew the curtains on England with some stellar bowling to hand the home side a 26-run win in their second ODI and level the series.Hetmyer has been widely applauded as a star of the future, but he claimed top billing for the first act in Barbados on Friday with an unbeaten 104 off just 83 balls as Chris Gayle was forced into a cameo with his half-century in West Indies’ respectable total of 289 for 6.Given England’s history-making chase at the same ground to win the opening match on Wednesday, their latest target of 290 looked highly achievable.Enter Cottrell, whose career-best 5-46 in the second stanza wrecked England’s hopes, while Jason Holder played the best supporting role by claiming three wickets at crucial times to snuff out any prospect of the tourists stealing the show.Gayle scored at a faster clip than in his previous innings, picking off four sixes, including one lost ball over the stands, on his way to 50 off 63 deliveries.Adil Rashid, kept out of the attack until the 34th over in the first match, made a much earlier entrance this time, joining the action in the 19th and with good effect. He conceded just two runs to Gayle off six balls and made the crucial breakthrough in just his second over, with a sharp-turning legbreak that beat Gayle’s swipe and clattered into off stump.Rashid enhanced his contribution with a wonderful direct hit when Hetmyer set off for a single after turning a Tom Curran delivery towards short third man, where Rashid swooped and fired the ball in to catch Darren Bravo well shy of his ground.Hetmyer compiled a confident innings highlighted by deft stroke play and, when the situation called for it, sheer power. On 98 with two balls remaining in West Indies’ innings, Hetmyer brought up his ton with a boundary off Ben Stokes, his seventh for the match, and he celebrated by skipping down the pitch and punching the air before removing his helmet and raising it in the air, revealing a bright yellow hair-do as he did so.Until Hetmyer stepped up, West Indies’ decision to drop a batsman – Nicholas Pooran, who made his debut in the previous match, for another bowler in Cottrell – looked to have left them short, particularly after Holder, batting up the order at No.6, was run out cheaply by a superb direct hit from Jason Roy to put the home side at 237 for 6.But Hetmyer’s salvage job, combined with Cottrell’s opening spell, appeared to put paid to that argument.Cottrell’s first wicket, claimed with his second ball of the innings, was poetry, a full, fast delivery which slammed into the pad on middle stump, leaving Jonny Bairstow in no doubt about his fate.Cottrell began his second over with another important wicket as Roy, whose 123 helped drive England’s history-making chase in the first game of the five-match series, dragged on having scored just two runs. That prompted Cottrell to parade his saluting sergeant major send-off with even more gusto than in the previous over.Joe Root, who also scored a century in the series opener, looked ready to settle in, his six fours struck with typical elegance and poise. His dismissal on 36, however, was anything but as he fluffed his lines in trying to uppercut a short, wide ball from Oshane Thomas and sent a top-edge through to the keeper.By that time, England were 60 for 3 but, with their seemingly indomitable batting line-up, there was no sense of panic yet.Eoin Morgan was dropped twice, once by Hetmyer on 41 and then by Ashley Nurse on 51. He went on to score 70, but when Cottrell returned to the attack, it took him just eight deliveries to make an impact with Hetmyer playing a part to keep himself in the limelight. Morgan knew he was in trouble when he lofted Cottrell down the leg side, letting out a groan as Hetmyer raced in to claim the catch.Even then, with Jos Buttler appearing at the crease the target seemed within reach, although England’s run rate had been hovering below that required for quite some time.Stokes made a well-crafted 79 off 85 balls and he was bitterly disappointed to be out edging Holder to Shai Hope for caught behind, with the DRS confirming he had put bat on ball as well as hitting the ground, which prompted his appeal. Walking off, he struck his pad furiously and, once he had reached the dugout, he threw his helmet, bat and pads on the ground in disgust.With 10 overs remaining, England needed 62 runs off 60 balls but then Holder turned the match with two wickets in as many balls, the first a clever piece of bowling and the second sheer luck.Introducing some variation, Holder produced a timely offcutter, which Buttler chipped into the air, for Hetmyer to claim the catch. Holder then had Curran out lbw with a ball Hawk Eye showed was missing over the stumps by some margin but, with no DRS appeals left, England were helpless.Holder dropped a sitter off Rashid, spooning Devendra Bishoo to short cover, but then Cottrell removed Rashid and Moeen Ali, before Holder caught last man out, Liam Plunkett, off the bowling of Carlos Brathwaite and England were all out with 14 balls to spare.

Bangladesh have lost three finals at the venue. The captain wants his team focused on the many positives to come out of the league phase of this series though, to get past those painful memories

Mohammad Isam26-Jan-2018″I hadn’t thought about it. You shouldn’t have reminded me.”Mashrafe Mortaza had a wry smile on his face when he was asked about Bangladesh’s three previous finals at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. They famously went very close twice, but the home side has never won any tri-nation series or a tournament that involves more than two teams.In the 2009 tri-nation series final, Sri Lanka lost five wickets for just six runs, till today the lowest score at the fall of the fifth wicket in an ODI, as Mashrafe Mortaza and Nazmul Hossain blasted out most of the top order. Kumar Sangakkara got them out of the mess before Muttiah Muralitharan’s unbeaten 33 helped them over the line by two wickets.Three years later, Bangladesh went as close as two runs of Pakistan’s total in the Asia Cup final but was closed out by Aizaz Cheema’s fine last over. The crying faces of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim became the poignant image of the final. Mashrafe, Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah were also around when India beat them in the rain-interrupted final of the 2016 Asia Cup T20s.In the current tri-nation series, Bangladesh crushed Sri Lanka by 163 runs, their biggest win in an ODI, while also trouncing Zimbabwe twice, before the implosion in the final round-robin game. So whether in jest or not, Mashrafe doesn’t want to be reminded of those painful memories of old. Instead, he said, it is better if his team stressed on keeping the mindset that has got them three big wins in this series already.”This is a new opportunity for all our players,” Mashrafe continued. “I think myself, Mushfiqur, Shakib and Tamim played all three finals. So this is another opportunity for us.”Tomorrow is a completely new game, so we don’t need to think about what happened previously,” he said. “We should play the way we did in the first three matches of this tournament. Maybe we didn’t deliver yesterday, so we should not be thinking about it anymore.”Mashrafe said that, in a way, their crushing loss in the last league game would put less pressure on their side going into the final. “We really want to win the final, since it will be a first for us at this level. It is better if we think less about all these things. There’s always pressure in a final.”In fact I think the pressure would have become less after that defeat. It will depend on how we start the game; we should use better judgement. The team that will handle the tough situations better, will obviously be ahead.”

Mumbai Indians will have a new coach for IPL 2017 as former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will take over the role from Ricky Ponting

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-20161:01

Quick Facts: Mahela Jayawardene in T20 cricket

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed head coach of the Mumbai Indians franchise. Jayawardene will replace former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, whose two-year contract in the role will expire soon. Jayawardene’s contract is reportedly for more than one year, but the franchise did not reveal the details.”Mahela Jayawardene’s appointment has come in the wake of Ricky Ponting – coach for the previous two years – contract coming to a close,” the franchise announced in a media release issued on Friday.Jayawardene has played for three franchises in the IPL since the tournament’s inception in 2008. He began with Kings XI Punjab (2008-2010), before switching to Kochi Tuskers for one season (2011), followed by two seasons with Delhi Daredevils.After retiring from international cricket in 2015, Jayawardene has featured in T20 leagues around the world, with teams hiring him as a mentor-cum-player. This will be the former Sri Lanka captain’s first stint as a coach.”I am very excited by the appointment and glad that the Mumbai Indians management appreciated my presentation and ideas,” Jayawardene said. “In what is a new chapter in my career, I will be striving hard to bring them [Mumbai] more on-field success and joy.”The franchise did not explain why Ponting’s contract was not being renewed, and did not reveal whether this decision was taken by the management or Ponting. Having won their second IPL title in 2015, Mumbai failed to make the knockouts, finishing fifth in IPL 2016.Ponting, who retired from all forms of cricket in 2013, was bought by Mumbai for his base price of $400,000 in the IPL 2013 auction. He was appointed captain for that season but stepped down midway through the tournament due to bad form. Mumbai eventually went on to win their first IPL title that season under Ponting’s replacement, Rohit Sharma.Ponting was appointed in an advisory capacity for the 2014 season and signed a two-year contract as coach the following year.