Who has impressed and who has struggled during the first half of the tournament?

Andrew McGlashan20-Apr-20251:38

Bishop: We saw the best of Starc tonight

Mitchell Marsh (Lucknow Super Giants)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 299 | Average: 42.71 | S/R: 167.97It’s been a notable return to action for Marsh, who missed the latter part of the Australia season through injury following his Test omission. He hammered four half-centuries in his first six innings before missing a game due to an illness in the family. He has benefited from the Impact Sub rule and has rarely had to push his body through fielding. “I’ve never been more motivated to score runs,” he said wryly about the ability to put his feet up. Marsh remains Australia’s T20 captain and has a big year ahead of him with the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next February.

Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 7 | Average: 36.00 | Economy 10.21It hasn’t been a stellar IPL yet for Australia’s Test and ODI captain while his team languishes near the foot of the table. Cummins hadn’t played since the end of the India Test series in January, having missed the Champions Trophy. His most recent outing brought his best return of 3 for 26 against Mumbai Indians but, overall, wickets have come at a price. From Australia’s perspective, if SRH don’t make the playoffs, it would give Cummins some extra time to prepare for the WTC final.Related

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Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 242 | Average: 34.57| S/R: 168.05There have been flashes of brilliance from Head, who started the tournament with 67 off 31 balls as SRH piled up a massive 286 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals. More recently, he flayed 66 off 37 deliveries in a rollicking stand of 171 with Abhishek Sharma, as the duo produced another iconic IPL moment with SRH chasing 247 with room to spare.

Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 12 | Average: 15.91 | Economy: 8.17Hazlewood is going along very nicely, which has been good news for both RCB, who are challenging towards the top of the table, and him personally, having not played since mid-December before the IPL started. His 3 for 21 against Chennai Super Kings was out of the top drawer and he bettered that return with 3 for 14 against Punjab Kings, although that came in defeat. It is looking increasingly like another Hazlewood vs Scott Boland debate for the WTC final.Josh Hazlewood has made an encouraging return from injury•Associated Press

Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 10 | Average: 26.70 | Economy: 10.68Starc began the season with a bang, taking eight wickets in his first two outings including a career-best T20 return of 5 for 35 against SRH, which included again removing Head. Since then, he has only taken two wickets in five matches, but played a starring role in DC’s Super Over victory against Royals when he nailed his reverse-swinging yorkers to secure the tie across 20 overs before keeping the Super Over to 11.

Tim David (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 142 | Average: 142.00 | S/R: 194.52David’s numbers neatly sum up the role he plays. Only dismissed once, facing 73 balls across five innings with an eye-watering strike rate of 194.52. Yet, two of his innings have come from No. 8 – where he has only batted five times in 249 T20 innings – to keep the talk going of when he comes in. Against PBKS, he single-handedly lifted RCB to a total that gave them half a chance with 50 off 26 balls.

Glenn Maxwell (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 41 | Average: 8.20| S/R: 100.00 | Wickets: 4 | Average: 27.50 | Economy: 8.46It is becoming another forgettable IPL with the bat for Maxwell, who was dropped for PBKS’ latest match against RCB after barely being able to make an impact in the first half of the tournament. That follows last season’s returns of 52 runs at 5.77. He has held his own with the ball, but that wasn’t enough to keep his place.Jake Fraser-McGurk is among those to have been dropped by his franchise•BCCI

Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 55 | Average: 9.16 | S/R: 105.76It’s also been a tough tournament for Fraser-McGurk, who has not come close to replicating his success from last season. He made 38 of his runs in one innings against SRH but otherwise it has been five single-figure scores. He lost his place in the starting XI for DC’s latest match. The IPL struggles follow a BBL where he only came good at the end with 95 off 46 balls against Brisbane Heat.

Marcus Stoinis (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 66 | Average: 22.00 | S/R: 157.14 | Wickets: 0 | | Economy: 11.37There is not too much to show for Stoinis’ tournament to date. Curiously, he was left out after producing his best innings – 34 off 11 balls with four sixes in the high-scoring game against SRH – before being recalled in place of Maxwell one game later. Has been used sparingly with the ball and has been expensive.

Adam Zampa (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 2 | Wickets: 2 | Average: 47.00 | Economy: 11.75Zampa’s tournament never really got going before being ended by injury, used twice as an Impact Sub and coming away with two wickets. One of his outings was the astonishing 528-run game against Royals.Xavier Bartlett had to wait his turn, but has played in back-to-back victories•BCCI

Josh Inglis (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 2 | Runs: 16 | Average: 8.00 | S/R: 69.56Having started on the bench, Inglis has been brought in for the last two matches which have seen PBKS register back-to-back victories to climb up the table. But he has yet to get going with the bat – the first game he played was very low-scoring, as PBKS somehow defended 111, and the second shorted by rain.

Xavier Bartlett (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 2 | Wickets: 2 | Average: 28.00 | Economy: 9.33Ricky Ponting has no shortage of Australians in his squad and Bartlett is another who has been called off the bench for the last two matches. He has been used extensively in the powerplay and his two wickets have been key ones, of Quinton de Kock and Liam Livingstone.

Nathan Ellis (Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 1 | Wickets: 1 | Economy: 9.50Only a single outing so far for Ellis, who came into the tournament off the back of an impressive run as captain of BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes and then consistent performances for Australia in the Champions Trophy.

Spencer Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 1 | Average: 133.00 | Economy: 11.73It’s been slim pickings for left-arm quick Johnson with one wicket in four outings, and he has been left out of KKR’s last two matches.*Aaron Hardie, who is in the Punjab Kings squad, has yet to play.

You can never write off an Australian side at a global tournament, but the make up of the bowling pack is a cause for concern

Andrew McGlashan15-Feb-20252:01

Finch: Big three absence a chance for Ellis to lead attack

How do they lookThe current ODI World Cup holders will have a significantly different make up than the side that surged to the title in India in 2023. Five players have become unavailable in the weeks leading into the Champions Trophy: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh are injured, Mitchell Starc has withdrawn for personal reasons, and Marcus Stoinis announced a shock retirement having been named in the original 15.The absences are more a hit to the bowling than the batting with Travis Head, Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell forming a strong, experienced core with plenty of 50-over pedigree. Josh Inglis is also a very versatile player, while Matt Short, who is vying to be David Warner’s long-term replacement, has regularly shown his power on the domestic T20 scene, though he has yet to click at this level.ESPNcricinfo LtdWith the big three quicks scrubbed, it will be a glimpse into the depth of the pace attack. Nathan Ellis should play a key role. Spencer Johnson brings plenty of elements of Starc to the side, albeit he remains raw in the 50-over format, but that can be said of plenty of players in the current generation. Much will rest on the experience of legspinner Adam Zampa and how he counters what looks like high-scoring conditions in Pakistan.You can never write off an Australian side at a global tournament, but it feels as though the batting will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting if they are to go deep and claim another piece of silverware.Who are their first-round opponentsFeb 22 – Australia vs England, Lahore
Feb 25 – Australia vs South Africa, Rawalpindi
Feb 28 – Australia vs Afghanistan, LahoreBest XI1 Travis Head, 2 Matt Short, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Alex Carey, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
Rest of the squad: Marnus Labuschagne, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ben Dwarshuis, Tanveer SanghaSteven Smith and Glenn Maxwell bring a lot of experience and class to Australia’s batting line-up•Getty ImagesPlayers to watchAlex Carey is enjoying a resurgence in his ODI career after losing his place one game into the 2023 World Cup when he was swapped out for Inglis. Now there is a chance they can both feature in the same XI with Carey having returned with impressive results in last year’s series against England. He also brings the advantage of another left-hand batter to the batting order. Both in front of and behind the stumps, he is in career-best form.It’s hard to know how many of Australia’s more experienced players will reach the 2027 ODI World Cup. Glenn Maxwell has recently said he hopes to have at least another couple of years in him, but things can change. You only have to recall Maxwell’s unbelievable feats against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup to know what he can bring to the 50-over game. His bowling, where he may again be the second spinner behind Zampa, is also key to the balance of Australia’s side. He’s a generational cricketer. Enjoy him while you can.2:37

Ferguson: Carey on the way to being one of our best ever

Key stats Australia have not won a match at a Champions Trophy since 2009. Since the 2023 World Cup, Australia have used 25 players in the 50-over format. There has only been one century in that time: Head’s 154 not out against England.Recent ODI formAustralia go into the tournament on the back of two heavy defeats in a two-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, where they were twice bowled out for under 200. Prior to that they lost to Pakistan at home in November having earlier in the year beaten England 3-2. Overall, since winning the 2023 World Cup, they have played 13 matches in the format with seven wins and six losses. They have often used the format to rest players ahead of key Test series.Champions Trophy historyAustralia were back-to-back winners in 2006 – when Damien Martyn was keen to usher the BCCI president off stage during the presentation – and 2009 but did not get out of the group stage in 2013 and 2017, though in the latter of those, two of their games were abandoned.

Get ready for the start of the Rothesay County Championship with our Division One preview

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2025.Durham Last season: 5th in Division One
Director of cricket: Marcus North
Head coach: Ryan Campbell
Captain: Alex Lees
Overseas: David Bedingham, Brendan Doggett (April-May)
Ins: Emilio Gay (Northants), Will Rhodes (Warwickshire), Sam Conners (Derbyshire)
Outs: Michael Jones (Lancashire), Jonathan Bushnell, Brandon Glover, Oliver Gibson (all released)Durham were viewed in some quarters as dark horses for the title on their return to Division One. Such predictions took a dent when their first outing, following a washout in the opening round, saw Warwickshire pile up 698 for 3 declared. Scott Boland, the club’s marquee overseas signing, was ruled out after one appearance, while Matt Potts, Ben Raine and Brydon Carse couldn’t get a peep out of the Kookaburra on the way to combined figures of 0 for 334.The team’s character shone through in battling their way to a draw (Potts scoring 149 not out as nightwatcher), and although they never quite managed a sustained run of form, losing as many games as they won, a fifth-place finish showed that Ryan Campbell’s Bazball-adjacent methods were comfortably at home in the top tier.Related

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Their durability was summed up by David Bedingham topping the Division One run-scoring with 1331 at 78.29, and Durham’s batting riches will present a conundrum for Campbell to solve this season, with Emilio Gay and Will Rhodes arriving to provide top-order competition. Scott Borthwick remains available for selection having moved into a player-coach role, while Ben McKinney is one of the most exciting young players around – and then there’s the potential that Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain, will want a game here or there, too, though Campbell is planning to be without.One to watch: The day after Daniel Hogg completed figures of 7 for 66 on first-class debut, the ‘s doyen of cricket coverage, Scyld Berry, tweeted that he would take “150 plus” Test wickets for England “if he stays fit”. Hogg, 20, is early in his journey, with six first-team appearances to his name, but looks to be the latest off the Durham fast-bowler production line. Alan GardnerBet365: 10/1David Bedingham was the leading run-scorer in Division One last year•Getty ImagesEssexLast season: 4th in Division One
Director of cricket: Chris Silverwood
Captain: Tom Westley
Overseas: Simon Harmer
Ins:
Outs: Ben Allison (Worcestershire), Feroze Khushi (released), Aaron Beard (retired)An air of optimism and renewal envelops Chelmsford at the start of what promises to be a hugely significant season. In 2017, Chris Silverwood delivered the club’s first Championship title in a quarter of a century, and now he is back as director of cricket. Just as he built the structure that has sustained their red-ball standards in the intervening eight years, the replenishment of those stocks is right at the top of the to-do list. In particular, a succession plan for their pre-eminent new-ball pairing of Jamie Porter and Sam Cook is a pre-requisite.To that end, the loss of allrounder Shardul Thakur to the IPL is a huge blow. It ought to have been a win-win, with Thakur using his Championship stint to vault himself back into the reckoning for India’s five-Test tour later this summer, but Essex’s loss has already been Lucknow Super Giants’ gain. Finding a replacement overseas quick will be vital, though no easy task in the current franchise market.They’ll be lacking their other overseas pro too, at least in the short term. Dean Elgar is due to return for a second season, having seamlessly filled the role of nuggety left-handed opener that was Alastair Cook’s for so many years, but for the time being he’s on indefinite paternity leave after the recent birth of his twins. Meanwhile Jordan Cox – so luckless this winter with a Test debut on the cards – needs a mountain of runs to force his way back into England’s plans. If his personal hunger translates to the squad as a whole, there’s exciting times ahead.One to watch: Essex’s reputation for homegrown players could be perpetuated if this is the season in which Jamal Richards breaks into the big time. Aged 21, he’s an alumnus of Graham Gooch’s old school in Waltham Forest, and his pace was amply displayed on his first-class debut in 2023, when he wrecked Ireland’s top-order en route to a first-innings five-for. He’s young and raw, but he’ll get his chances, and with Silverwood back in the building, rapid development is on the cards. Andrew MillerBet365: 13/2HampshireLast season: 2nd in Division One
Director of cricket: Giles White
Head coach: Adi Birrell
Captain: Ben Brown
Overseas: Kyle Abbott, Brett Hampton (April-May), Dewald Brevis (May-July)
Ins: Sonny Baker (Somerset), Mark Stoneman (Middlesex)
Outs: James Vince (red-ball retirement), Mohammad Abbas (Nottinghamshire)James Vince’s relocation to Dubai leaves a sizeable hole in the batting for Hampshire, who also released seamer Mohammad Abbas after four seasons yielding 180 wickets at 19.07. Mark Stoneman’s arrival from Middlesex goes some way towards filling the Vince void, while Sonny Baker, from Somerset, joins the pace ranks led again by the formidable Kyle Abbott, in his ninth season with the club.In Abbott and Liam Dawson, Hampshire had the No. 2 and No. 3 wicket-takers in the competition last year, lending plenty of stability despite those big-name departures. Dawson can also provide valuable runs, having contributed 956 in 2024, just 30 runs shy of club leader Vince and with a better average of 59.75.It’s a new era off the field with Hampshire entering the Championship as the first overseas-owned club in English county cricket. If they can improve on their top-three finishes of the past three seasons and go one better than last year, it would be an instant return on the investment of India’s GMR Group.One to watch: Tom Prest has just turned 22 but with three centuries from his 10 appearances last season, he heralded himself as another batter capable of covering for Vince’s absence. The stage is now set for the former England Under-19 captain to grab his own piece of the spotlight. Valkerie BaynesBet365: 10/1Liam Dawson will again be a key cog for Hampshire•Getty ImagesNottinghamshireLast season: 8th in Division One
Director of cricket: Mick Newell
Head coach: Peter Moores
Captain: Haseeb Hameed
Overseas: Kyle Verreynne, Fergus O’Neil (April), Mohammad Abbas (May & September)
Ins: Conor McKerr (Surrey)
Outs: Fateh Singh (Worcestershire), Luke Fletcher (released), Tom Loten, Toby Pettman (both retired)Last year’s dabble with relegation was inexplicable given the talent at Trent Bridge. The squad riches were typified by the fact many were in action over the winter. Even head coach Peter Moores dipped into the franchise circuit. But success closer to home will be scrutinised extra keenly, and it is reasonable to suggest that Moores’ job may depend on it.Red-ball silverware is a stretch, but there is no reason why Nottinghamshire cannot register a high finish. They boast a host of England cricketers, plenty of them in active service, many of whom reside in their bowling stocks.Olly Stone and Josh Tongue (who should finally make his Nottinghamshire debut) are on central contracts, while Dillon Pennington remains in the selectors’ thoughts after a winter with the Lions. The addition of Conor McKerr adds another tall, bouncy quick into the mix.Factor in Brett Hutton’s return to fitness after battling achilles trouble last summer, Lyndon James’ emergence and Mohammad Abbas for a couple of months, there is plenty of wiliness to supplement the speed. And with Haseeb Hameed and Joe Clarke set to build on their consistency with the bat, plus South Africa keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne on hand for the majority of the season – he averaged 248 from three appearances in 2024 – there is little reason why a top-half finish cannot be achieved.One to watch: It is probably cheating to put Farhan Ahmed in this category given he has already been seen. A debut first-class campaign might have only amounted to four games, but with 22 wickets at 23.22 – almost half of them against Surrey when, aged 16, he became the youngest to take 10 wickets in an English first-class match – everyone is on notice. The offspinner’s superstrength is his accuracy, a hell of a trait for someone so young. With left-arm twirler Liam Patterson-White and leggie Calvin Harrison also vying for playing time, his opportunities won’t be plentiful, but he’ll be sure to make them count. Vithushan EhantharajahBet365: 16/1SomersetLast season: 3rd in Division One
Director of cricket: Andy Hurry
Head coach: Jason Kerr
Captain: Lewis Gregory
Overseas: Matt Henry, Migael Pretorius, Riley Meredith
Ins:
Outs: Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Ned Leonard (Glamorgan), George Thomas (Sussex), Roelof van der Merwe (released)Three near-misses across formats in 2024 have Somerset battle-sharp and determined to avoid the late-season fade-out which cost them greatly in the Championship when Hampshire pipped them to second place in the final round, the week after a loss to Lancashire confirmed Surrey as winners.Matt Henry, the New Zealand seamer so pivotal to Somerset’s Vitality Blast success in 2023 and who took 32 wickets from six Championship games that season, is expected to arrive for his second stint at the club between rounds one and two despite missing the home series against Pakistan with shoulder and knee problems.Will Smeed offers a fascinating storyline with the bat after reversing his decision to play only white-ball cricket. A fractured foot suffered during the SA20 may delay plans for his first-class debut slightly, but, when the day does arrive, his explosive style combined with a new-found enthusiasm for the long format could be quite something to watch.With Shoaib Bashir on loan to Glamorgan for the start of the season, veteran Jack Leach spearheads the spin attack and believes a strong start will provide added insurance against any slips later on. “There’s no point in thinking about the last two weeks of the season until you’ve taken care of the first weeks of the season, so we need to get off to a really good start,” he said. “A moment in April could be the moment that allows you to go and win it.”One to watch: Archie Vaughan, the 19-year-old son of former England captain Michael, thrived in his four Championship games last season, averaging 33.71 with the bat and taking 15 wickets at 20.13. That included a match-winning 11-wicket haul against Surrey which kept Somerset’s title hopes alive. Having said he can be his “own man” at a club where “my dad’s not known”, it feels like only a matter of time before another Vaughan is famous in these parts. VBBet365: 13/2Archie Vaughan has already made a name for himself at Taunton•Harry Trump/Getty ImagesSurreyLast season: 1st in Division One
High performance cricket adviser: Alec Stewart
Head coach: Gareth Batty
Captain: Rory Burns
Overseas: Kemar Roach (April), Nathan Smith (May-Sept)
Ins: Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire)
Outs: Conor McKerr (Nottinghamshire), Ben Geddes (Middlesex), Amar Virdi (released)Boring, isn’t it? Not for Surrey, they like it. And they want more.A squad who have lost just five Championship matches across their hat-trick of title-winning campaigns have arguably been strengthened without doing all that much, and with the possibility of losing Dan Worrall to England duty.The Anglicised Aussie has 139 dismissals at 21.17 since moving to the Kia Oval in 2022, and should Rob Key give him a call, he will undoubtedly be a miss. But with Matthew Fisher now down in south London and New Zealand’s punchy bowling allrounder Nathan Smith on deck from May, there is handy cover.Factor in Dan Lawrence losing his England place, Will Jacks on the outside looking in, the desires of Jamie Overton and Sam Curran to push their cases with more red-ball work, and Ben Foakes relieved to no longer be subject to the “will they, won’t they” discourse, there are plenty of personal ambitions to fuel the whole. Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson will play some part in the first six rounds. It will business as usual for openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley.Even with Alec Stewart’s more subdued role this season – not that subdued, by all accounts – the Surrey juggernaut rolls on. Will it be four in a row? Perhaps the better question is who can stop them?One to watch: A tough one to pick given Surrey’s depth – and the fact precocious allrounder Tom Lawes already has two winner’s medals around his neck – but 20-year-old Ollie Sykes is another highly rated batter off the production line. A new-age leftie who crouches low with a high backlift, he debuted across all formats for the club last season, making his first-class bow in the final Championship game at Essex, though he made a two-ball duck in his only knock. He tuned up for this summer by hitting 32 off a James Coles over in a warm-up match down at Sussex. VEBet365: 11/10SussexLast season: 1st in Division Two
Head coach: Paul Farbrace
Captain: John Simpson
Overseas: Daniel Hughes, Jayden Seales (April-May), Nathan McAndrew (June-July), Gurinder Sandhu (June-July), Jaydev Unadkat (Sept)
Ins: George Thomas (Somerset), Nantes Oosthuizen, Troy Henry
Outs: Sussex walked the talk after Paul Farbrace challenged his players to secure a place in the top tier for the first time since 2015, winning eight of their 14 games to claim the Division Two title. John Simpson proved a revelatory appointment in his first crack at captaincy after a 15-year career, leading from the front with five hundreds and 1197 runs at 74.81, while 24-year-old offspinner Jack Carson enjoyed his best summer with 50 wickets at 22.46 (not to mention 458 runs). A balanced squad was lifted by incisive contributions from Sussex’s overseas signings, including Jayden Seales (24 wickets at 24.25), Jaydev Unadkat (22 at 14.40), Cheteshwar Pujara (501 runs at 62.62) and Daniel Hughes (340 at 56.66).The challenge is to replicate such consistency at a higher level. Paul Farbrace has rejected talk of survival and is targeting a top-four finish as a minimum; for that, Sussex will need strong performances from the core of their side, players such as Carson, Tom Haines, Tom Clark, Tom Alsop and James Coles, all of whom have yet to prove themselves in Division One. It could also be a big summer for Ollie Robinson. Last year’s return of 39 wickets at 25.53 was solid without being spectacular, but the bigger stage might galvanise attempts to remind England of his qualities.One to watch: At the end of last summer, Troy Henry was one of two cricketers in the groundbreaking African Caribbean Engagement (ACE) programme to be awarded a professional rookie contract live on Sky Sports. That will fund his first year at Sussex, after the 20-year-old was signed following open trials at the club in January. A left-arm spinner and former ACE captain, he has previously played national counties cricket with Hertfordshire. AGBet365: 16/1Ollie Robinson will lead the Sussex attack on their return to Division One•Getty ImagesWarwickshireLast season: 7th in Division One
Performance director: James Thomas
Head coach: Ian Westwood
Captain: Alex Davies
Overseas: Vishwa Fernando (April), Tom Latham, Beau Webster (May-July), Hasan Ali (May-Sept)
Ins: Ethan Bamber (Middlesex)
Outs: Will Rhodes (Durham), Chris Benjamin (Kent), Liam Norwell, Michael Burgess (both retired)An underwhelming seventh-placed finish wasn’t going to cut it for Warwickshire’s management, who responded with a restructure in which Mark Robinson left his role as head coach after four seasons and the club recruited performance director James Thomas from Manchester City. New first-team coach Ian Westwood, the former Warwickshire opener promoted from his position as Robinson’s assistant, has an early headache with the delayed arrival of New Zealand Test captain Tom Latham due to a broken hand, the club hoping he will be back in action by early May.Wicketkeeper Michael Burgess’s surprise retirement to pursue other career opportunities in London headlined a player exodus from the club. They are also without Will Rhodes, whose third century of the season sealed safety before he left for Durham. Warwickshire only recruited Middlesex seamer Ethan Bamber locally, in addition to Australian allrounder Beau Webster and Sri Lanka quick Vishwa Fernando. With only Vishwa available from their overseas contingent before May, when the returning Hasan Ali will also link up with the side, Warwickshire face a challenging start to a season where any slips could leave them vulnerable.One to watch: Hamza Shaikh, the 18-year-old academy product added three Championship appearances last season to his first-class debut for England Lions against Sri Lanka, where he scored a first-innings 91. An unbeaten 33 in a supporting role to Rhodes as Warwickshire held out for a draw – and top-flight survival – against Worcestershire, was an impressive next step after his performance as leading run-scorer in England Under-19s quadrangular series in India in 2023. VBBet365: 14/1WorcestershireLast season: 6th in Division One
Head coach: Alan Richardson
Captain: Brett D’Oliveira
Overseas: Jacob Duffy (April-June)
Ins: Ben Allison (Essex), Fateh Singh (Nottinghamshire)
Outs: Joe Leach, Josh Cobb (both retired)As press releases go, the one that landed from Worcestershire on March 25 took the biscuit: “Scheduled cricket scheduled to go ahead as scheduled …” was the gist of the message from Ashley Giles, the club’s chief executive, “… unless it doesn’t”.Such are the extraordinary climate-related pressures on Worcestershire these days. Tellingly, the ECB hadn’t scheduled a Championship match at New Road until the fourth round, starting April 25, in a bid to protect the club against the worst of the potential spring floods that have blighted their iconic home in recent years. With studies showing that 19 of the ground’s 30 worst floods since 1899 have occurred in the last 25 years, Worcestershire’s concerns about their long-term viability permeate every facet of the club, and even their share of an anticipated Hundred windfall won’t in itself be sufficient to start planning for a relocation.In the circumstances, therefore, the club’s achievements in the past two seasons have been remarkable. If 2023’s promotion from Division Two was impressive, then last summer’s calm retention of their top-flight status was even more so.It promises to be an even tougher year ahead, however – not least because of the absences in the club’s ranks, most notably their gut-busting captain Joe Leach, who retired last summer after finishing as their joint-leading wicket-taker for the campaign with 27. New Zealand’s Nathan Smith and West Indies’ Jason Holder proved to be model overseas pros too. Much rests on Jacob Duffy to provide similar impact with the ball as his compatriot.One to watch: Kashif Ali has been the breakout star of the renowned SACA program, and the consistency of his 2024 campaign – 1180 runs at 42.61, including twin hundreds against Warwickshire – underpinned their solid season-long showing. The challenge is now to carry that form into a third season, with expectations heightened and ambitions ignited for higher honours. AMBet365: 33/1Jonny Bairstow will hope to lead from the front at Yorkshire•Getty ImagesYorkshire Last season: 2nd in Division Two
Director of cricket: Gavin Hamilton
Head coach: Anthony McGrath
Captain: Jonny Bairstow
Overseas: Ben Sears, Jordan Buckingham (May), Will Sutherland (May-July)
Ins: Jack White (Northamptonshire)
Outs: Matthew Fisher (Surrey), Dom Leech (Northamptonshire), Mickey Edwards (retired)
It says much for the turbulence at Yorkshire in recent seasons that neither captain nor coach from their promotion campaign will return. Ottis Gibson signed off from three challenging years in the job by getting Yorkshire back into Division One before the club moved for one of their own, appointing Anthony McGrath after a success-filled reign at Essex. His brief is a simple one: make Yorkshire contenders once again. With Jonny Bairstow taking over the captaincy from the departed Shan Masood, there will be no shortage of pride in the White Rose this summer.Having started slowly, with five draws and two defeats in the first half of 2024, Yorkshire found their stride to win five of their last seven games – three of them by an innings – and shoulder their way past Middlesex. Adam Lyth, now in his 38th year, finished as the division’s second-leading run-scorer and is a proven performer in the top tier. With Bairstow set to benefit from the presence of Joe Root and Harry Brook for at least some of the Championship’s opening stretch – although Brook will miss the first three rounds – Yorkshire could field an intimidating top six. The bowling, led by Ben Coad, will miss Fisher but has been supplemented by a trio of Antipodean quicks. Spin could prove to be a weakness, however.One to watch: James Wharton has been around Yorkshire’s first-team squad for several seasons but 2024 proved a coming of age. His maiden first-class hundred, 188 against Derbyshire at Chesterfield, helped spark Yorkshire’s charge in the second half of the season. He then hit the runs to secure promotion on the way to a mammoth 285 in the final round. AGBet365: 16/1

It’s the perfect pairing – one brings in experience, the other local expertise and reports are the pair have a calming influence on the team

Mohammad Isam19-Feb-2025That Bangladesh are a team in transition will soon be on display during the Champions Trophy 2025. The absence of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, two of the team’s greatest cricketers, has wiped a lot of experience away from their ODI depth. But can the coaching duo of Phil Simmons and Mohammad Salahuddin add substance to a set-up lacking big names?As much as it sounds hard to believe that Simmons and Salahuddin can replace Shakib and Tamim in any capacity, Bangladesh have always been a team dependent on coaching. It has been the trend since their cricketing inception in the 1990s. The lack of international exposure made coaches like Gordon Greenidge, Eddie Barlow and Dav Whatmore among the biggest influencers in Bangladesh cricket. The combined experience and knowledge of Simmons and Salahuddin will be effective for this Bangladesh team in different ways.Simmons is among the most experienced coaches in world cricket, having recently become only the fourth coach to be in charge of 400 international matches. Salahuddin’s career highlights include the four BPL titles he won with the Comilla Victorians, but he is also recognised and celebrated in these parts as the country’s go-to coach for technical and tactical troubleshooting.Shakib is Salahuddin’s most famous student, having known each other from their days in the BKSP sports institute where Shakib was a student and Salahuddin a coach. In 2015, Shakib famously sought Salahuddin’s help with his bowling action so they did the consulting over a video call. Shakib once called up Salahuddin to the IPL in 2019 and later credited this stint with him as the reason for his blockbuster performance at the ODI World Cup that year. Tamim, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar and Jaker Ali are among those – from past and present – who have worked extensively with Salahuddin.

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The BCB appointed Simmons and Salahuddin late last year with a short contract till the Champions Trophy. The team had the home Tests against South Africa, the ODI series against Afghanistan and the full tour of West Indies under Simmons. According to those who have worked closely with the team in recent training camps, both coaches have gelled well – with each other and the team.”The first thing that caught my eye was the communication between the two coaches,” Sohel Islam, a coach who worked with the Bangladesh team earlier this month, told ESPNcricinfo. “It was good to see that they have gained each other’s trust. I think it is a really important factor, particularly in the Bangladesh team setup.”Simmons doesn’t speak a lot, but he notices every little detail. I think when he does speak, it leaves an impact on the players. Simmons also encourages the players to express themselves. I really liked his style.”I have worked with Salahuddin for many years. He has retained his coaching style. The players really trust him. Both Simmons and Salahuddin want to make sure that the players get the most out of each practice session. They want the players to get some reward out of every little thing that they do in training.”Salahuddin has seen the emergence of Bangladesh’s players with his presence in the BPL•Bangladesh Cricket BoardTalha Jubair, who worked as a bowling coach in the recent camp, felt that the duo brought in a refreshing energy to the set-up.”I have worked with previous Bangladesh coaches, but I never felt I was welcomed into those setups,” Jubair said. “This time, it felt a lot different. You had Salahuddin and Phil Simmons always bouncing off ideas with him.”Generally, I noticed a happy and comfortable dressing room. I think we have had coaches who were too dominating in the past. It can restrict players, and by chance, if a player is shy about expressing himself, he generally goes into a shell in those situations. I think what this coaching pair has done, is refreshing.”Related

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While the BPL was on, Simmons worked regularly with the captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. Shanto wasn’t a regular in the Fortune Barishal XI, which allowed him time with the Bangladesh head coach in a separate setup almost daily in the latter part of the tournament. It allowed for the two to understand each other. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Shanto and Simmons have developed a solid rapport too.Salahuddin, meanwhile, spent the BPL observing, working with, and talking to the Bangladesh players. He is appointed as the senior assistant coach, but everyone in Bangladesh knows that they can all turn to Salahuddin for help.Bangladesh haven’t performed that well under Simmons so far, but their Test win in Jamaica and the 3-0 T20I series win against West Indies was seen as a step in the right direction for a struggling side. With no Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim and Towhid Hridoy during the West Indies tour, they blooded in Jaker Ali, Tanzid Hasan and Nahid Rana with a clear focus on the future.

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ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCB considered Salahuddin for the job after finally deciding that a Bangladeshi coach must be part of the coaching setup. They wanted someone who could communicate better with the players, and someone the players knew from their formative years. Salahuddin was the most eligible candidate.The BCB is also familiar with both coaches. Between the Chandika Hathurusinghe stints, Simmons was in conversation with the BCB for a coaching role. In 2018, shortly after Hathurusinghe had left the job, Simmons had flown to Dhaka for an interview. The board opted for Steve Rhodes instead.Salahuddin also worked for Bangladesh many years ago. He was the assistant coach from 2009 to 2011, when he was known to have guided youngsters like Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiqur. Salahuddin worked at a Malaysian University for a while before getting into the BPL. The four titles with Comilla also show a winning pedigree in his coaching career so far, and the reputation of working with Bangladesh’s best adds to his sheen.Can Najmul Hossain Shanto lead Bangladesh to Champions Trophy glory?•ICC/Getty ImagesBut for Salahuddin, this has come after some opposition. The BCB had reportedly appointed Salahuddin as the assistant coach in 2017 but changed their decision at the last minute after a board director voiced his dissent. Salahuddin had since stayed away from the BCB, often criticising the board. When Faruque was elected president in August last year, one of the first things he mentioned was the plan to appoint a Bangladeshi in the coaching setup.The general feeling of calmness in the dressing room is a welcome change that many, including those at the BCB, have observed. Bangladesh have often operated in difficult, chaotic situations – particularly in ICC tournaments – in the recent past. It usually resulted in very little success for the team.There is a belief within the Bangladesh camp that the calmness and assuredness that Simmons and Salahuddin have brought to the team could be the difference makers. Interestingly, their contracts expire at the end of the Champions Trophy. Surely the BCB will back them for a longer stint?

Graeme Smith and Vernon Philander look back to 2012, when South Africa became the No. 1 Test side, and what the team needs to do to get there again in the WTC final

Firdose Moonda06-Jun-2025South Africa have done it before: become world Test champions (though it was not called the World Test Championship then) at Lord’s. Though much has changed in the 13 years since, two of the architects of their success in 2012 believe the class of 2025 can do it again. Former captain Graeme Smith and player of the match in the Lord’s Test, Vernon Philander, spoke about their experiences of handling pressure, playing the mental game and what it meant to become No. 1.When we was fab
By the time South Africa got to England, they had been hovering near the top of the Test rankings for years, had a reputation as a formidable outfit, and won consistently away from home. Back then they were unbeaten for six years and eight series on the road and believed they had earned the right to be called the best.”It started for us in ’07, when we started to build a style of play, the right type of personnel, and a batting unit that could perform consistently as a top six,” Smith says. “We also had a really well-rounded attack that offered me enough options. We had wicket takers, we had bounce, we had solid spin options, and having allrounders like [Jacques] Kallis and [AB] de Villiers gives you options as well.”Related

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After Hashim Amla’s triple-hundred at The Oval and a weather-affected draw at Headingley, South Africa went to Lord’s 1-0 up.No one reached three figures in a first-innings total of 309, and things were kept even when they bowled England out for 315. Amla scored another century in the second innings and South Africa set England a target of 346. England were 16 for 2 heading into the final day, 120 for 4 at lunch, and 208 for 6 in the third session. It was tense until the end.”That was a great test,’ Smith says. “Once we got to our second-innings total, I thought we’d be in with a chance because of our bowlers. As a captain, it was about holding your nerve, planning for the moment and trying to keep the game together, so you can then attack again. These are skills that I think you only get when playing and winning and through tough times.”Philander’s match haul of 7 for 78, and specifically his second-innings five-for, was instrumental in South Africa’s win at Lord’s•PA PhotosUltimately, Philander’s 5 for 30 won the match and the mace. “For me, it was always about picking those big moments and wanting to be the guy that gets the team across the line,” he says. “And Lord’s is a special place – the history that goes with playing at Lord’s, the aura of playing [there], there’s so much to take in and to soak up. Once you walk through that members’ lounge, I don’t think you need much more motivation as a player. You look at the honours board and the names on the honours board and you want to have your name engraved there too.”In that game, it was not like the bat dominated or the ball dominated but for bowlers, there was always something in it because of the slope. We used that to our advantage.”Here we are, tough road or not
That 2012 South Africa side travelled to explorer Mike Horn’s home in the Swiss Alps for a few days before playing two practice matches in England. It was seen as unnecessary and outlandish but had its merits. “We got a lot of flack in terms of our preparation,” Philander says. “We went to Switzerland instead of playing an extra warm-up game, so the English media were all over us, but if you look at the team’s record up until then, we had a hell of an away record. For us, we needed to get mentally sharp before heading into that series. A lot of English media wrote us up as underprepared, but we knew what we were about, we knew our identity as a team, and that really came to the fore.”This time around, South Africa are playing a warm-up match against Zimbabwe at Arundel, which has been weather-affected, but half the squad has just come off game time at IPL and others were playing on the county circuit. There are fewer worries about match-readiness than there are about the quality of the opposition they’ve played – in the lead-up and throughout the cycle.South Africa played neither England nor Australia in the 2023-2025 WTC period, and their only visit to the subcontinent was to play Bangladesh. Some of the pre-final talk has questioned whether South Africa deserved to be there. But Smith has bullishly batted that back and urged the current team to embrace the underdogs’ tag.Bavuma has led South Africa in nine Tests since 2023, and hasn’t lost one yet•ICC via Getty Images”Everyone knew what South Africa’s run to the WTC final was [like] and it just so happened that they went and nailed it. No one complained at the beginning [of the cycle]. It’s just ultimately their teams aren’t there and that’s frustrating to them,” he says. “The mental preparation for Shuks [Shukri Conrad, South Africa head coach] and Temba [Bavuma] is gonna be so important, because it doesn’t matter what other people say, you have a chance to go and play a wonderful game. In your career, you don’t know how many times these types of opportunities are going to come around for you, and it’s about them recognising that.”Philander is certain South Africa have had a tough enough path. “You have to give a lot of credit to this team and the way they’ve gone about their work, especially the last 12 months,” he said. “It’s not easy to win in Bangladesh, let alone being a team that doesn’t have any superstar names and with a lack of experience in those kinds of conditions. They’ve had to fight and overcome a lot of battles along the way. And in every series they just became better and better. The self-belief came to the fore. They’re not dependent on a particular player. It’s a matter of the guys really backing each other and believing in themselves.”Bavuma, Conrad and Co
Smith’s captaincy was well established by 2012 – he had had 100 Tests in charge – and he was also among their best batters. Bavuma has had just two years of experience in the role, but in that time he has been South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer. Smith says Bavuma and Conrad will have to manage the environment leading up to the final.”Gary [Kirsten, South Africa’s coach in 2012] and I had a very great working relationship. He knew when I needed to step in and vice-versa,” Smith said. “When you get into that game, then Temba’s got to control it. He’s going to have to lead. In the build-up Shuks might do a little bit more. Then when you get into the Test match those roles kind of shift. Your captain’s going to have to be a key performer in the Test match.Philander sees Dane Paterson (centre) as a key part of South Africa’s bowling attack in the WTC final•Gallo Images”It’s obviously an exciting time for Temba, but it’s also a big game. It will be about playing the moments, and handling the pressure as the game goes on. The thing about tense Test matches, in every session, as a captain, you say it’s an important session, because it starts to feel like that. You can’t have a soft session. They’re [the team] gonna have to make sure that every session they’re up for it and that they don’t give away an inch.”A career-ending injury to Mark Boucher in 2012 meant South Africa had to make a last-minute tactical change to their team, which allowed them to lengthen the batting line-up. With AB de Villiers behind the stumps, they played with seven frontline batters, three seamers and a spinner. Now, they line up similarly, but the presence of three seam-bowling allrounders – Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch – means they have an additional quick at their disposal.Heading into Lord’s, they have two main selection questions: who will bat No. 3, and who will be the third specialist seamer joining Kagiso Rabada and Jansen? All indications are that Mulder could be promoted to No. 3, with Tristan Stubbs (who was initially given the role last year) at No. 5. That leaves no room for Tony de Zorzi. One of Bosch, Lungi Ngidi or Dane Paterson will be in the pace pack.For Philander, the choice is obvious. “Patto is going to be key for me,” he says. “Lord’s has a slope, so there will be natural variation in the surface, and for a bowler of his kind of pace [around 130kph], batters always feel that they need to play them and [they] very often get dragged into playing at balls that they don’t have to.”An attack of Rabada, Jansen, Paterson and Mulder excites Philander, and though it doesn’t have the star power of Australia’s Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, he believes they’ll match up. “There’s a beautiful mixture of skills. You’ve got Marco Jansen, he’s tall and he can swing the ball. [Paterson] will be consistent and he can move the ball both ways, and KG [Rabada] is going to do what KG does best: hit the surface hard and extract movement out of the surface. And Keshav Maharaj is such an important bowler. He’s going to hold things tight and he’s going to allow those guys to operate, and hopefully strike,” he says. “If you look at the Australian set-up, many would argue that they perhaps have the more senior of the two attacks, but it’s a wonderful opportunity for these guys to go over and just do what they’ve been doing.”Rabada has had a fractious rivalry with Australia, and now there’s fuel for more•Associated PressDoes Rabada have a target on his back?
Experience, both in number of caps and winning ICC trophies, is not the only thing about Australia that may worry South Africa. There’s also the love-to-hate history between the two sides, whose most acrimonious meetings included the 2018 Sandpapergate series. South Africa will be wary of the war of words that might be coming their way.The first spat could involve comments to or about Rabada, who has previously been engaged in battle with Australia (when he shoulder-brushed Steven Smith in 2018) and has served a month-long ban for cocaine use. Rabada has already said he is prepared for whatever Australia bring, and even looking forward to it, but Graeme Smith hopes the topic will not be too much of a fire starter.”The best way to approach these things is to just hit it on the head and be honest and say sorry. It’s not like the Aussies have had a perfect record of not making mistakes. KG has been through the process. He served his punishment so the only thing to do is just to own it, and say sorry and get on with it,” Smith says. “Playing in Australia, one of the things that really worked for us at the end of each day’s play was to chill in the changing room and talk about all the stuff that we had heard in the day because that took away the sting of it. It became humorous for us. But then you’ve got to match it with performance.”The import of the mace
Having had more than their share of heartbreak, South Africans are too scared and scarred to dare dream of what winning may mean for them, but Smith and Philander, who have experienced it, can speak to what it does. When they became No. 1, they stayed there and kept winning for much of the next three years. When they were dethroned in 2015, it precipitated a slide down the rankings, and it has taken them a decade to rebuild. Smith now sees them as being on the brink of being the finished article.Mace me: dare South Africa dream of stealing the Test Championship from Australia again?•ICC/Getty Images”They’re at that point now where they’re putting those pieces together,” he says. “For Test cricket to remain strong, you absolutely need South Africa. You need a South Africa that’s competing and strong. We’ve seen when the team does well people are still engaged in Test cricket and want to support it. In a T20, one person can come off and upset the apple cart, but in a Test match, over a number of days, it’s attrition, it’s a test of your mental ability, and your skills can be tested dramatically. They’ve got talent and ability and match-winners, especially with the ball. In a one-off Test match, they definitely stand a chance. If it was over three to five, maybe it would be a little bit tougher, but in a one-off , I absolutely think they’ve got enough fire power to compete with Australia.”And if they do get there?It will be the start of a whole new story of success in South African sport, which Philander believes will set a new high-water mark. “When you’re at the top, you almost need to be training harder, you’re more hungry and more determined to want to stay there. There’s a new set of expectations,” he says. “If this team wins the mace, there will be a new energy in South African cricket overall because it sends a clear message to the rest of the guys coming through.”And I remember in 2012, for a couple of the younger guys coming through at the time, Faf [du Plessis] and later KG – the standard at the time was set. We lost that standard a little bit, but right now I can see that it is being upheld again and there’s a real sense of pride in the way the guys go about their business, the way the guys train, the language being spoken in and around the group. I feel they’ve done a phenomenal job in building this team culture. Now it’s just, go and do it.”

Mulder had a shot at Lara’s world-record 400* but SA declared at lunch with Mulder unbeaten

Sampath Bandarupalli07-Jul-2025

Wiaan Mulder became the second-fastest triple centurion in Test cricket•Zimbabwe Cricket

367* Wiaan Mulder’s score against Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo. It is now the fifth-highest individual score in Test cricket, and the highest since Mahela Jayawardene’s 374 at Colombo in 2006.1 Number of South Africa batters to score a triple-hundred in Test cricket before Mulder. Hashim Amla had scored an unbeaten 311 against England in 2012 at The Oval.Mulder’s 367* is also the second-highest individual score by a South African in first-class cricket, behind the 390 by Stephen Cook for Lions against Warriors during the SuperSport Series in 2009-10.Related

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1 Mulder also recorded the first triple-ton in Tests in Zimbabwe. He bettered Kumar Sangakkara’s 270 in 2004, also in Bulawayo. His 367* is the second-highest Test score by any batter against Zimbabwe, behind Matthew Hayden’s 380 at the WACA in 2003.It’s also the highest first-class score in the country. The previous highest was 306 by Mark Richardson for New Zealand A against Zimbabwe A in 2000.297 Balls that Mulder needed to complete his triple-century, the second-fastest in Test cricket. Virender Sehwag holds the record, having taken only 278 balls for his triple-hundred against South Africa at Chennai in 2008.ESPNcricinfo LtdMulder took 27 more balls to bring up his 350, off 324 balls, the fastest by any batter in Test cricket. Hayden held the previous fastest 350, off 402 balls, also against Zimbabwe in 2003.53 Number of boundaries that Mulder hit during his knock (49 fours and 4 sixes), the second most by any batter in a Test innings, behind 57 by John Edrich (52 fours and 5 sixes) during his 310* against New Zealand in 1965.The 49 fours that Mulder hit are also the second most in a Test innings behind Edrich, who hit 52 fours during his unbeaten 310.264* Mulder’s score on Sunday was the second highest by any batter on the opening day of a Test match, behind only Don Bradman’s 309* against England at Headingley in 1930.

All the key numbers from the second ODI in New Chandigarh, where India handed Australia their heaviest defeat in ODIs

Namooh Shah17-Sep-2025102 – Margin of defeat for Australia against India on Wednesday, their biggest in terms of runs in women’s ODIs. Their previous biggest loss by 92 runs came against England in the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1973.11-1 – Australia’s win-loss record against India in India in the previous 12 ODIs, having last suffered a defeat in February 2007. India also ended Australia’s winning streak of 13 matches in ODIs that started with their 84-run loss against South Africa in February 2024.2 – India’s win in the second ODI was only the second time they won an ODI against Australia with the bilateral series still undecided. The other such win came in 2004 in Mumbai in the third game of a seven-match ODI series.Related

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292 for 10 – India’s score in New Chandigarh in the second ODI is the second-highest team total in an ODI against Australia, only behind England’s 298 for 8 in Hamilton in 2022.12 – Hundreds by Smriti Mandhana in ODIs, equalling Tammy Beaumont. She is third on the list, only behind Meg Lanning (15) and Suzie Bates (13). Mandhana’s 12 hundreds are also the joint-most by an opener in ODIs alongside Bates and Beaumont. Mandhana now has 15 international hundreds (12 in ODIs, two in Tests, one in T20I) and is only behind Lanning who has 17 across formats.ESPNcricinfo Ltd77 – Number of balls Mandhana took to complete her century is the fastest against Australia in ODIs. She bettered Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 79-ball effort in the Women’s World Cup in 2022. It is also the second-fastest hundred by an Indian in ODIs after Mandhana’s own record of 70 balls against Ireland this year.17 – Number of Player-of-the-Match awards for Mandhana in ODIs. She drew level with Charlotte Edwards and Ellyse Perry at third. Stafanie Taylor (28) and Mithali Raj (20) are the only ones ahead.

ESPNcricinfo celebrates the careers of some remarkable players we might not see at another 50-over global tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2025Alyssa HealyEven in a side boasting Australia’s depth, Alyssa Healy – their captain, wicketkeeper and prolific run-scorer – will leave a sizeable hole when she leaves. After a year fraught with injury setbacks, Healy believes she has more to give beyond this World Cup but has ruled out playing at the 2028 Olympics or after that. Anyone who remembers her tearing up the run-scoring charts at the 2022 edition – with 509 runs averaging 56.55 and two centuries in the knockout phase, including the 170 that broke England hearts in the final – will savour seeing her at this tournament one last time.Suzie BatesChallenging “ageist” notions was firmly on Suzie Bates’ agenda on the eve of the last T20 World Cup final where she, Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu lifted the trophy. And here they all are again, flying the New Zealand flag for players on the other side of 35. Bates was Player of the Tournament in 2013, her second of what will be five World Cup appearances.Having thought the 2017 and 2022 editions might be her last, 38-year-old Bates recently said, “never say never”, but she is fairly certain that this will be it. “I feel like there’s no milestones on my list anymore,” she recently told ESPNcricinfo. “As you get older and you know you’re near the end, you honestly do go into every game wanting to contribute to a win, and it’s as simple as that.”Chamari Athapaththu: “Before I retire, what I want is to take Sri Lanka to a semi-final”•Getty ImagesChamari AthapaththuSkipper Chamari Athapaththu has long shouldered a heavy load for Sri Lanka as their standout allrounder and captain. Now she carries a self-imposed burden on her 35-year-old shoulders, the desire to take her team to a maiden women’s World Cup semi-final “before I retire”.”If we can get there, we can figure out the next steps,” she told at the captains’ call on Friday. “But even getting there is big.”It’s been eight years since Sri Lanka featured at a 50-over World Cup and, if Athapaththu can rediscover the year-long run of form she enjoyed from June 2023 – three unbeaten centuries, including 195 not out against South Africa – it would be a return to remember.Harmanpreet KaurIf this is Harmanpreet Kaur’s final 50-over World Cup, what a farewell party it would be should India win a maiden senior women’s title, at home. Like many of her contemporaries, 36-year-old Harmanpreet is contesting her fifth ODI World Cup, although it is her first as captain.The architect of one of the most memorable innings in women’s World Cup history – her 171 not out off 115 balls in the 2017 semi-final – Harmanpreet has an excellent track record at the tournament. Three of her seven ODI centuries have been in World Cups, where she averages 51.52 compared to her overall average of 37.37. Her determination to take the weight of expectation off her team suggests that personal milestones are, however, at the back of her mind.”I just want to go there and enjoy, and play my best cricket,” she said. “That’s what I’ve been telling myself and my team… it’s all about not taking too much pressure.”Sophie Devine was in a cheerful mood at the captains’ conference•AFP/Getty ImagesSophie DevineAs she did before the T20 World Cup, Sophie Devine has been upfront about her future from the start. Last year, she announced she would relinquish the T20 captaincy after what turned out to be a glorious campaign in the UAE. This time, she’s retiring from 50-overs cricket at the end of the tournament. So what would it mean to walk away with the double?”It’d be pretty special,” Devine told ESPNcricinfo, adding her reasons for announcing her ODI retirement beforehand. “A part of the reason, similar to last year at the World Cup, was getting it out there nice and early so that I can just focus on enjoying it, being present with the group and get the focus on playing really good cricket and hopefully bring home a trophy.”At her best with the bat, Devine is pure destruction. With the ball, she recently ended the Hundred in the top-five wicket-takers’ list with 13 at an economy rate of 6.70 in an evergreen performance for Southern Brave.Heather KnightHeather Knight has faced a tough road to reach her fourth World Cup. She lost the England captaincy after a bleak Ashes tour of Australia and then suffered a serious hamstring injury at the start of the home summer and spent four months undergoing painstaking rehabilitation work.In her first outing since, she scored 41 off 48 balls in a warm-up game against New Zealand and 37 off 47 in another against India. Knight’s reliability with the bat will be key to an England side still in transition under new head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. With her 35th birthday still three months away, it’s not inconceivable that Knight could do a Bates in 2029 but time will tell.Marizanne Kapp now has an entire side wanting to go one better than their previous two runners-up results at the T20 World Cup for her•Matthew Lewis/ICC/Getty ImagesMarizanne KappHer team-mates are barely joking when they lovingly refer to Marizanne Kapp as the stern matriarch of the team. But her conduct on and off the pitch over the course of a career spanning five World Cups in 16 years commands their utmost respect.Kapp made her international debut at the 2009 event in Australia, scoring 7 and 0 in her two matches and going wicketless from the three overs she bowled. But from those humble beginnings rose the fiercest of competitors. She had her best World Cup with the bat at the next edition in India, scoring a century and 61, and took her only ODI five-for at the 2022 event against England.Since then, she has racked up three more ODI centuries outside World Cups, including away to India last year and in Pakistan this month. In T20s, Kapp has consistently had one of the top economy rates in all three editions of the WPL. She now has an entire side wanting to go one better than their previous two runners-up results at the T20 World Cup for her.Ellyse PerryIt’s hard to imagine an Australia side without Ellyse Perry, such is her longevity and supreme athleticism. With this year’s tournament set to end the day before her 35th birthday, she is a player you might see still running around aged 39, especially given that she recently signed a fresh three-year contract with Sydney Sixers.Her best World Cup bowling figures came at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium, against West Indies in 2013, and she averages significantly higher with the bat compared to overall in ODIs (56.08 vs 49.19), although a century eludes her at this tournament.That aside, after a career spanning 18 years and counting, having made her debut at the age of 16, what more would be left to achieve if Australia defend their title here? An Olympic Games gold? Surely. A World Cup title hat-trick? Maybe.Ellyse Perry successfully appeals for a wicket on her ODI debut, aged 16•Getty ImagesMegan SchuttA swing bowler who has made no secret of this being her last 50-over World Cup, Megan Schutt returns to the place she made her tournament debut – in just her third ODI. Schutt took her joint-best World Cup bowling figures during that tournament – 3 for 40 against New Zealand, which she repeated against the same opposition in Bristol four years later.”I’ve no intentions on hanging around for another four years,” Schutt said. “Being able to have the chance to finish an ODI World Cup in India when that’s where I’ve kind of started my career is really cool. The stars have aligned in some ways and so obviously coming away with a win is the ultimate goal, but I really just want to enjoy it, absorb the enormity of it all and being in a country that’s obviously cricket-mad and where my career began hopefully will bring some success.”Inoka RanaweeraSri Lanka’s 39-year-old left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera has played 164 white-ball games for her country and boasts three four-wicket hauls, two of them in ODIs, and one of those was against India during their 2022 tour.Ranaweera missed this year’s tour of New Zealand but earned a recall for the home tri-series with India and South Africa, where she had steady if unremarkable figures as 20-year-old off-spinner Dewmi Vihanga emerged as the future of Sri Lanka’s slow-bowling ranks.This will be Ranaweera’s third World Cup and first since 2017, where she was captain, with her team missing out on qualifying in 2022.Udeshika Prabodhani is back after nearly a year battling a hamstring problem•Getty ImagesUdeshika PrabodhaniWith Athapaththu and Ranaweera, the 40-year-old Udeshika Prabodhani boosts Sri Lanka’s bid to rival New Zealand for players plying their trade into their late 30s and beyond.A left-arm seamer, Prabodhani was second behind only young spinner Kavisha Dilhari as Sri Lanka’s leading bowlers at last year’s Asia Cup. She returned to Sri Lanka’s World Cup squad after nearly a year battling a hamstring problem, during which time Malki Madara made her debut, allowing Sri Lanka to build balance between youth and experience. Her wily inswinger has proved problematic for opposition batters, just ask Mithali Raj about Sri Lanka’s maiden ODI win against India, which knocked the hosts out of the 2013 World Cup.Lea TahuhuIn case Perry, Harmanpreet, Knight or someone else exercises their powers of longevity and play on next time, Lea Tahuhu makes the squad as 12th woman.She has just turned 35 but she keeps finding herself grouped with New Zealand’s trio of “grandmas” – their term, not ours.Fast bowler Tahuhu fought her way back into the White Ferns’ central contract list for 2023-24 after missing out the previous year. She accounted for Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia and Deepti Sharma in the recent second ODI against India.

With only nine Premier League wins under his belt as a manager in the top flight, it’s fair to say Daniel Farke has his work cut out for him right now to arrest the current Leeds United slide.

With four defeats from their last five league clashes, Leeds now sit just one point above the depressing relegation zone, as Sean Dyche’s equally relegation-troubled Nottingham Forest sucked the Whites deeper into the relegation pit by beating them 3-1 at the City Ground before the international break.

Yet, despite the West Yorkshire outfit hanging on for their lives, and Farke’s wretched record in the top division, it appears as if the ex-Norwich City boss will be kept on, for the time being at least.

Surely, though, if the results continue in their gloomy downward trajectory, the plug will have to be pulled.

But, until then, the under-pressure German has some big decisions to grapple with to try and save his job in the long run.

Decisions Farke needs to make to save his job at Leeds

Sack season is also in full swing now in the Premier League, with bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers getting rid of Vitor Pereira recently, after extending a vote of confidence his way.

Farke will hope he doesn’t follow Pereira in being the next managerial casualty, with the German now facing the decision to make a number of changes to his regular starting lineup.

One of those includes dropping the likes of Brenden Aaronson if he is to remain in the Elland Road dug-out moving forward.

Unfortunately, Farke does appear to be staunchly loyal to certain members of his camp, even when they’re obviously falling below their expected standards, with Aaronson selected now by the German a high 59 times, to hit-and-miss results.

Only one of his ten goals for the West Yorkshire giants under Farke has fallen in the Premier League, and with both Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto waiting in reserve, switching out the ex-Union Berlin playmaker for either the Welshman or Italian could seriously boost the relegation-threatened side in attack.

Farke might also help the wins to start flowing if he selects Lukas Nmecha as his sole striker more often, heading into crunch games this November and December, with the ex-Wolfsburg striker stylishly putting away a goal against Forest, which is his second for the club already, despite only amassing 279 minutes of total league action.

The German will also know he needs to change up his defence, with Jaka Bijol receiving plenty of pelters for his recent performances.

However, Farke didn’t exactly help out his tiring defence at the City Ground.

Bielsa signing must be given the boot by Farke

Another compelling argument to get rid of Aaronson from the first team picture, away from his hot-and-cold reputation, is the fact that he’s a remaining relic of the dismal 2022/23 squad that was relegated to the Championship.

The only other dire member of that team that featured against Dyche’s hosts was Jack Harrison, who is somehow still getting minutes under Farke, many years on from his Leeds peak.

25/26

11

0

22/23

40

6 + 10

21/22

38

10 + 2

20/21

37

8 + 8

19/20

49

6 + 8

18/19

42

4 + 4

Indeed, looking at the data above, it’s clear that the former Manchester City youth product was a dependable first-teamer many moons ago at Elland Road, with an impressive collection of 66 combined goals and assists for the Whites.

Leeds managerial great Marcelo Bielsa even once hailed Harrison as a “big influence” during his heyday down the left channel.

But, right now, the 28-year-old needs to be put out of his misery, on his subdued return to the Whites first team fold, after a two-season-long loan stay at Everton.

Last time out versus Forest, when strangely placed into the side at left-back, Harrison would clatter into a Forest shirt late on, clumsily, to gift Elliot Anderson his game-clinching penalty.

Moreover, away from that moment of stupidity, the below-par number 20 still manages to pocket a steep £90k-per-week salary at the Premier League newcomers, despite having no goals or assists to shout about this season from 11 forgettable outings.

Recent reports have also suggested that Harrison could be sold in January if Leeds can win themselves some more reinforcements in attack.

Still, if Farke wants to send out a message that he isn’t going to stand by and watch standards slip, he will try to offload the shoddy winger in the transfer window, anyway, as he attempts everything in his power to keep his precarious position.

He's got a "bit of Bielsa": Leeds could sack Farke for "mental" 4-3-3 coach

A Bielsa-style change of manager could keep Leeds in the Premier League

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 12, 2025

One Chelsea star has been critiqued for his performance in their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Robert Sanchez having more touches than him at Stamford Bridge.

In what was Chelsea’s final Premier League game ahead of the November international break, the Blues played host to a Wolves side who, after 10 games, were still without a win in the top flight.

Enzo Maresca’s side struggled to do much with the chances they generated in the first half against Wolves, frustrating the home support at Stamford Bridge. Soon after the half-time break, however, the Blues broke the deadlock.

Malo Gusto opened the scoring with what was his first-ever senior goal just minutes into the second half. This lead was doubled just after the hour mark when Joao Pedro smashed a deflected Estevao cross beyond Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The game was put beyond any doubt when, with less than 20 minutes to go, Pedro Neto scored against his former club. The win moved Chelsea to second in the table. However, one Blues player was slammed for his performance against the relegation-threatened side.

Delap failed to make mark against Wolves

Signed in the summer from Ipswich Town, Liam Delap has endured a tough start to life at Chelsea. An injury saw him sidelined for weeks to open the 2025/26 campaign, missing almost two months. Upon his return, against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Delap was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards after coming off the bench.

Delap, who reportedly signed a contract worth £100,000 per week, made his first start for Chelsea since returning from injury against the Old Gold, but failed to make an impact. Simon Johnson, who works for The Athletic, was critical of what the striker produced, noting that he did not appear at match fitness and said he was “struggling”.

As per SofaScore, within 64 minutes of football, Delap had just one shot on target. He was dispossessed on three occasions and by having just 15 touches in the game, had less time on the ball than Sanchez.

Delap is still a young player, one coming back from a relatively long set-back no less. His performance against Wolves, though, can simply not be the level that he consistently operates at going forward.

Chelsea weighing up move for England international