Riverside curtain-raiser abandoned without a ball bowled across four days

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2024Durham hope that Scott Boland’s arrival in the north east will provide them with a timely boost after their first match back in Division One of the County Championship was washed out without a ball bowled against Hampshire.Boland has been training at Chester-le-Street over the weekend – he had his Durham headshots taken on Monday – but did not arrive in time to be considered for selection in the opening round of games. He is now due to be available across formats until the end of July, and should make his debut on Friday against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.”He makes it another hard decision,” Ryan Campbell, Durham’s head coach, said. “We made some tough decisions ahead of this game: you would have seen Michael Jones and Bas de Leede miss out, which was a tough decision to come to. And now somebody else is going to miss out – if he’s ready to play.”

“Rizwan, Haris, Irfan and Azam are part of the squad because we hope they will be fit for the Ireland series,” Wahab Riaz says

Danyal Rasool02-May-2024Usama Mir and Zaman Khan have missed out on selection for Pakistan’s upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, while Hasan Ali, who had last played a T20I in 2022, has been called up to the squad. Haris Rauf, who was injured during the PSL, has also been included, even as Agha Salman also returns.The squad, which was announced in a press conference conducted by three members of the selection panel, also sees the return of Mohammad Rizwan, Azam Khan and Irfan Khan, who were ruled out of last month’s series against New Zealand with injuries. However, there is no guarantee yet that the trio – or even Rauf – has yet made a full recovery, with selector Wahab Riaz expressing cautious optimism over their involvement.”Rizwan, Haris, Irfan and Azam are being assessed,” he said. “There is a significant improvement in their fitness. They’re part of the squad because we hope they will be fit for the Ireland series.”Related

• Babar: 'Haris Rauf is positive about his involvement in 2024 T20 World Cup'

• Are Pakistan stuck in a T20 time warp?

• Gillespie is Pak men's Test coach; Kirsten named white-ball coach

Pakistan’s squad largely consolidates the group named for the home T20Is against New Zealand, with Usman Khan, Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim keeping their places. Despite late speculation around the potential return of Aamer Jamal, the allrounder does not make the cut, while the freezing out of hard-hitting top-order batter Mohammad Haris also continues.Hasan, who like Jamal is currently playing county cricket for Warwickshire, had his selection attributed by the PCB more to his experience and ICC tournament pedigree rather than current form. Hasan did enjoy a stellar PSL this year with Karachi Kings, for whom he took 14 wickets at an economy of 8.26, but was still not selected for the New Zealand series.His selection appears to be based around belief in his ability beyond just hard numbers, and an opportunity to assess him in Ireland and England before this 18-man squad is whittled down to 15 for the T20 World Cup.Pakistan play three T20Is against Ireland starting May 10, before playing four games against England. The deadline to announce the squad for the T20 World Cup (May 25) is after they play the first T20I against England (May 22).

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England T20Is

Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

Coach Andrew McDonald also stands by the decision: “Ashton was suited to these conditions and we needed to make room”

Matt Roller23-Jun-20243:23

Moody: These were ideal conditions to trouble Australia

Australia’s captain and coach defended the “tough decision” to leave Mitchell Starc out for their defeat to Afghanistan, which has left them reliant on other results ahead of their final Super Eight fixture against India in St Lucia on Monday.On a slow, turning pitch in St Vincent, Australia opted to play only two frontline seamers – Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – and brought Ashton Agar into the side in Starc’s place, as a second specialist spinner alongside Adam Zampa. Agar bowled tidily, taking 0 for 17 in his four overs, but Afghanistan’s 118-run opening stand brought Starc’s absence as a new-ball strike bowler into focus.”It’s always a tough decision to leave Mitch Starc out of a team,” Andrew McDonald, Australia’s coach said. “But from the way that the game unfolded, Ashton was suited to these conditions and we needed to make room. We knew we were going to need more than eight overs of spin on that surface and it’s probably something we’ve been planning and preparing for once we knew we were at this venue.Related

• Naib orchestrates Afghanistan's historic win over Australia

• Marsh confident Australia will be 'up and about' for India challenge after Afghanistan loss

“It’s always a difficult decision. You never know whether you’re right or wrong, but I thought Ashton bowled incredibly well today, used his skill, some good arm-balls, found some purchase early and he made it tricky to navigate through those first few overs. We got two [overs] out [of him] in the powerplay which then set up the bowling for that end with him and Zamps operating. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take those early wickets.”Mitchell Marsh, Australia’s captain, said Starc had been “unlucky” to miss out but added: “We’ve said right from the start of the tournament that we’ve got 15 guys here, and we’ll pick a team that we think can win us the game in those certain conditions, and everything pointed towards Ash… The reality is, when you’ve got this much talent, someone’s always unlucky to miss out.”Despite Agar’s two tight powerplay overs, Afghanistan made a steady start to their innings, scoring 40 for 0 in the first six. It stood in contrast to Australia’s own start, losing Travis Head, David Warner and Marsh himself to be 33 for 3 after six. But Marsh insisted: “I don’t think the game was won or lost in the powerplay tonight.”Ashton Agar bowled tight but couldn’t get early wickets•ICC/Getty Images

McDonald said that there was no point trying to work out what might have happened if Starc had been selected against Afghanistan, and said that conditions in St Vincent had been as Australia expected. They had long earmarked the game as a potential scare given the strength of Afghanistan’s spin attack and the nature of the pitch at the Arnos Vale Ground.”When you’re hopping around the islands, the conditions change dramatically, and we got what we expected,” McDonald said. “I was comfortable with that decision and now we’ve got to turn our focus to India: a totally different line-up on a totally different surface, and we’ve got to make good decisions at the selection table.”That’s part of the art of navigating through a World Cup, to get those decisions right – and you can’t play the same game twice. You can’t put Mitchell Starc in there, or Nathan Ellis, and work out what the game would have looked like. We went to Ash and backed him in, and we’ve got full trust in whoever we call on in that 15 to get a job done and we’ve got a task ahead.”

NZ batter replaces Blair Tickner, who has flown home for family reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2024Cam Fletcher, the New Zealand batter, has joined Derbyshire for 11 Vitality Blast fixtures, starting with their East Midlands clash with Nottinghamshire on Friday.Fletcher has yet to make his international debut, but his big-hitting approach has racked up almost 2,000 T20 runs in his career, with 11 half-centuries at a strike-rate of 131.14. He featured in three T20 fixtures for Glamorgan last season, with a best of 57 from 40 balls against Sussex.Last season, he was a part of the Auckland Aces side which won the 2023-24 Super Smash, with Fletcher scoring 180 runs across six innings.Fletcher joins the Falcons as a replacement for fast bowler, Blair Tickner, who will return to New Zealand for family reasons.”I’m looking forward to joining Derbyshire Falcons, the Vitality Blast is an exciting competition and I can’t wait to get started,” Fletcher said. “Mickey Arthur is a world-class coach and the opportunity to work with him is one I’m very excited about.”Head of Cricket, Arthur, added: “We’ve moved quickly to secure a powerful batter in Cam Fletcher, he’s a very exciting player who will add even more firepower to our batting lineup.”He has played in the Vitality Blast before and will give us another option, as we go into a really intense block of fixtures.”

Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock

ECB Media28-Jul-2024England star Alice Capsey followed up her opening-day 51 with a well-made 59 as Oval Invincibles defeated Welsh Fire by six wickets at Cardiff.Capsey hit seven boundaries in her 48-ball knock before she was brilliantly caught at long-on by Hayley Matthews off Freya Davies with 27 runs still required.All-rounders Marizanne Kapp (26*) and Mady Villiers (11*) then took the reins to extinguish any Welsh Fire hopes, guiding Invincibles home with 12 balls to spare.The Invincibles’ chase got off to a far from ideal start as they lost Lauren Winfield-Hill on the second ball of the innings, caught at cover by Tammy Beaumont off Shabnim Ismail for a duck.Paige Schofield (11) and Capsey didn’t let this early loss faze them, playing fluently to move the score along to 37 for 1 after 20 balls, the latter crucially being dropped at long-on by Ismail off Jess Jonassen two runs later.Capsey overturned an lbw decision on 43 off the bowling of Jonassen and went on to bring up her fifty from 42 balls.Welsh Fire won the toss and elected to bat, losing Beaumont for four to the eighth ball of the innings, an outswinger from Kapp which drew an edge behind to Winfield-Hill.After 25 balls, Welsh Fire had laboured to 17 for 1 and they soon found themselves 20 for 2 when Amanda-Jade Wellington struck first ball to remove the dangerous Matthews for just 6, caught brilliantly by Kapp running in from the cover boundary.Sophia Dunkley made 35 from 26 balls before skying Wellington to Ryana MacDonald-Gay at long-on and Jonassen, who took over Dunkley’s role as aggressor, played enterprisingly for 32 not out from 22 balls as Welsh Fire closed their innings on a below-par 116 for 5.Meerkat Match Hero Capsey, said: “Pace on was really nice, so capitalising on that up the top in the powerplay. When it got a bit harder, they were bowling really well with change-ups and bowling a bit slower, me and Kappy built a partnership and knew the longer it went on, the easier it would get for the others coming in at the back end.”I’ve been feeling in really good nick but I think the most pleasing thing for me is my calmness. I think last year I was a bit frantic. So, it’s nice to be back in this space where I can contribute to team wins.”

A collective effort by their bowlers limited Lyca Kovai Kings, in their third straight final, to 129 for 7

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2024A 46-ball 52 from R Ashwin at No. 3 following a collective bowling effort helped Dindigul Dragons to their maiden Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) title. It was Ashwin’s third successive fifty in TNPL 2024.Lyca Kovai Kings, in their third straight final, were restricted to 129 for 7 – thanks to two-wicket hauls from Sandeep Warrier, Varun Chakravarthy and P Vignesh each – with Dragons overhauling it with six wickets and ten balls to spare at Chepauk. Ashwin also contributed with four stingy overs for just 13 runs.After being inserted, Kings raced away to 48 for 1 in five overs. But Varun struck twice in two balls in the final over of the powerplay to get rid of S Sujay (22 off 12) and U Mukilesh. B Sai Sudharsan, who scored an unbeaten 123 in the Qualifier 1, soon cut a short and wide one straight to backward point to leave Kings in tatters at 51 for 4.R Ashwin struck his third successive half-century in the TNPL•TNPL

Atheeq Ur Rahman and Ram Arvindh then stitched a 36-run stand in 28 balls. But once that partnership was broken by Suboth Bhati, Kings run-rate took a hit. M Shahrukh Khan, Kings’ captain, also had an off day and that culminated in an abject finish to the innings.The start to Dragons’ 130-run chase was a bit frantic, with both the openers being dismissed in 15 balls. But Ashwin and B Indrajith (32 off 35) brought a sense of calmness. Ashwin hit one four and three sixes in his stay. They added a run-a-ball 65 for the third wicket to all but seal the chase. One that was completed swiftly in the end, thanks to Sarath Kumar’s 15-ball 27 with two fours and as many sixes.While Ashwin was named Player of the Match for his innings, Shahrukh took the series honours for his all-round efforts: 225 runs at a strike rate of 182.92 – easily the best among the top run-scorers in TNPL 2024 – and 13 wickets, second to only M Poiyamozhi’s 16.

India aim to get back to winning ways, Scotland look to notch up their first T20 World Cup win in just their second outing

Sruthi Ravindranath05-Oct-20241:25

Are India in danger of a group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup?

India vs Pakistan

Dubai, 2pm local timeIndia squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, S SajanaPakistan squad: Fatima Sana (capt), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba HassanTournament form guide: On the back of a stunning bowling effort, Pakistan opened the tournament with a 31-run win against Sri Lanka in Sharjah. India, meanwhile, suffered a 58-run loss to New Zealand amid high drama in Dubai.Related

• Harmanpreet & Co left fuming after Amelia Kerr run-out-that-wasn't drama

• Injuries to Zaida James and Stafanie Taylor make bad day worse for West Indies

• Rodrigues challenges India to bounce back from shock New Zealand loss

News brief: In the match against Sri Lanka, medium pacer Diana Baig only bowled one ball before she pulled up with what looked like a calf injury. It is understood that Baig did not train on the eve of the match and that she would be assessed on Sunday ahead of the game. India-Pakistan contests have rather been one-sided in favour of India. India have won five out of the seven matches they’ve played against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, with Pakistan last winning in the 2016 tournament. India have also dominated against them in T20s overall, having won 12 out of 15 games. Regardless, the encounter is expected to draw huge crowds, with over 10,000 tickets reportedly being sold for the game on Sunday.Players to watch: Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal is having her best year in T20Is. Among all players at the T20 World Cup, she has taken the most wickets in 2024, with 24 wickets in 15 games. She was impressive in the opener against Sri Lanka as well, taking three middle-order wickets, including that of the top-scorer Nilakshika Silva. She finished with figures of 3 for 17.West Indies will look to bounce back after the big loss to South Africa•ICC/Getty Images

Scotland vs West Indies

Dubai, 6pm local timeScotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce (wk), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Katherine Fraser, Saskia Horley, Lorna Jack, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey, Rachel SlaterWest Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt, wk), Ashmini Munisar, Afy Fletcher, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa CraftonTournament guide: In their maiden World Cup appearance, Scotland lost to Bangladesh by 16 runs. West Indies, too, are coming into the match on the back of a big loss, having gone down to South Africa by 10 wickets in Dubai.News brief: West Indies are waiting on injury updates for a couple of key players. Bowler Zaida James suffered a blow to the jaw while fielding off her own bowling, but captain Hayley Matthews said after the game that “she hopefully will be able to be back up for the next match”. Senior allrounder Stafanie Taylor also looked in some discomfort during her knock of 44 not out. It was revealed that she had been troubled by soreness in her knee and that she would undergo an assessment before training on Saturday.Player to watch: Scotland will surely want to use the offspin of Saskia Horley more. Bowling two overs in the match against Bangladesh, she picked up three wickets for just 13 runs having only been brought into the attack in the 18th over. She had quite an impressive run with the bat in the Netherlands ODI tri-series in August and in the match against PNG, she took 4 for 24, bowling her full quota.

Chamindu Wickramasinghe has retained his place in both ODI and T20I squads

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Nov-2024Kusal Perera has been included in Sri Lanka ODI squad to play New Zealand, as has seamer Mohamed Shiraz.Kusal Perera has not played an ODI in almost a year, but has made this squad on the strength of his 55 not out in a T20I against West Indies. Shiraz, 29, has been an excellent domestic performer, taking 84 wickets at 18.75 in List A cricket, but has so far bowled only four overs in internationals.On the T20I front, Sri Lanka have retained the exact squad they had had for the series against West Indies, which they won 2-1. Newcomer Chamindu Wickramasinghe – an allrounder – has kept his place in both squads.Dinesh Chandimal has also retained his place in the T20I squad. He hasn’t played any international white-ball cricket since 2022, but has been impressive in domestic competitions since.The core of Sri Lanka’s batting group remains unchanged, the likes of Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, and Asalanka himself likely to be part of the top five. In T20Is, Sri Lanka have a middle-order hitter in Bhanuka Rajapaksa. In ODIs, they have more of an accumulating batter in Janith Liyanage, who can also contribute with his seam bowling.The spin contingent also consist of the regulars, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, with Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage also making both squads.There are differences on the seam-bowling front, however. Slingers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara are only in the T20I squad, as is Binura Fernando. Left-armer Dilshan Madushanka and Shiraz are ODI bowlers who don’t make the T20 outfit. Asitha Fernando is in both.Four of the matches – three T20Is and one ODI – will be played in Dambulla. The other two ODIs will be in Pallekele. The series begins on November 9.T20I squad: Charith Asalanka (capt.), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando, Asitha FernandoODI squad: Charith Asalanka (capt.), Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Nishan Madushka, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohamed Shiraz