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Dhara Gujjar and Prema Rawat have been added to all three squads, while Yastika Bhatia has also been included in the one-day squad

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2025Offspinner Shreyanka Patil and legspinner Priya Mishra have been ruled out of the India A women’s tour of Australia due to injuries.While the pair was initially included in the squad for the multi-format tour – Patil in the T20 and Mishra in the one-day and four-day squad – their participation was subject to fitness clearance. It has now been confirmed that they have not recovered in time and will continue rehabilitating at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.”Both players remain under the care of the BCCI Medical Team at the Centre of Excellence and are currently undergoing their Return-to-Play protocols,” a BCCI statemen said.Patil has been out of action for a while now. She had suffered a finger injury during the women’s Asia Cup in July last year but played at the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October. Another injury, however, ruled her out of the WPL 2025. With Patil and Mishra out, Bengal batter Dhara Gujjar and Uttarakhand allrounder Prema Rawat have now been added to the squad across all three formats. Gujjar was earlier part of the one-day and four-day squads, while Rawat was only included in the T20 squad.In addition, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia has also been included in the one-day squad. Bhatia played at the WPL 2025 for Mumbai Indians earlier this year and more recently participated in two tour games against ECB Development Women’s XI.India’s multi-format tour of Australia starts with the T20s from August 7 in Mackay, and will run until August 10. That will be followed by the one-day games in Norths on August 13, 15 and 17. The only four-day fixture will be played at Allan Border Field in Brisbane from August 21.Radha Yadav will captain all three sides, which also includes Shafali Verma across formats.India A’s updated T20 squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, D. Vrinda, Sajana Sajeevan, Uma Chetry (wk), Raghvi Bist, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Tanuja Kanwer, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Dhara GujjarIndia A’s updated one-day squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat, Yastika BhatiaIndia A’s updated four-day squad: Radha Yadav (capt), Minnu Mani (vice-capt), Shafali Verma, Tejal Hasabnis, Raghvi Bist, Tanushree Sarkar, Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Nandini Kashyap (WK), Dhara Gujjar, Joshita VJ, Shabnam Shakeel, Saima Thakor, Titas Sadhu, Prema Rawat

Discussions have been held between SA’s premier and the Australian Football League to have the game played at Adelaide Oval in the week between football fixtures

Alex Malcolm09-Mar-2025South Australia’s dream of hosting the Sheffield Shield final at Adelaide Oval is one step closer to reality after they confirmed hosting rights thanks to a win over Victoria. Coach Ryan Harris said his side wants to play at the venue with it becoming a strong possibility as discussions have reached the state premier’s office amid a juggling act with the Australian Football League (AFL), which could see the dates of the decider shifted.South Australia will host their first Shield final since 2016 after locking up top spot on the table with an outstanding four-wicket win at the Junction Oval, after chasing down 300 in the fourth innings thanks to a superb unbeaten century from Jake Lehmann.Whispers that the final could be held at Adelaide Oval began to circulate after the win over Western Australia in Perth last month but nothing could happen officially until South Australia confirmed they would host the final.Related

• South Australia prevented from hosting Shield final at Adelaide Oval

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• Lehmann and Scott lead South Australia to home Shield final

The final is currently scheduled to run from March 26 to March 30. One major issue is that Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitches have already been removed from the venue ahead of AFL club Adelaide Crows first home game on March 16. South Australia’s other AFL club, Port Adelaide, play their first home game at the venue on Saturday March 22.If the Shield final were to be staged at Adelaide Oval, it would need to be moved forward two days to be played between Monday March 24 and Friday March 28, sandwiched between weekend football fixtures with Crows playing at home again on March 30.It is understood that a single drop-in surface could be put in place after the AFL game on March 22 is completed. The pitch would have already been prepared elsewhere and would be ready for play on March 24 with the outfield cut to an acceptable level.”We’re in now. I think that was part of the step,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo after the win over Victoria on Sunday. “I’ve left that up to the people above me, but it’s gaining momentum, I believe.”I think there are a few small bridges to cross coming into this week. But I think now that the fact that it’s been confirmed that we’re in Adelaide I guess we’ll hear over the next couple of days, what goes on there.”But I mean we want to play there. We love it there. It might be a little bit different. The outfield might be a little bit slower, but when we play early games in September, October, it’s generally quite slow anyway, so I don’t think it’s going to be a lot different.South Australia have been the dominant team of the season•Getty Images

“But ultimately if we can get out there, it’d be great. But obviously, we understand as well the agreement football have. But as far as I know, the conversations have been really positive so we’ll wait and see over the next couple of days.”A Shield final has not been hosted at Adelaide Oval since 1996 with South Australia’s last home final played at Glenelg Oval. The encroachment of the AFL season into March over the last 15 years has meant venues that host both first-class cricket and Australian Rules Football such as the Adelaide Oval, the MCG, the SCG, the Gabba and Perth Stadium have been unavailable to host Shield finals due to football being prioritised once the winter code begins it’s season.A Shield final has not been played at any of those venues since 2012 when Queensland hosted the final at the Gabba. Since then Victoria has hosted finals at Alice Springs and Hobart while New South Wales hosted a final in Canberra before Junction Oval and Cricket Central became viable grounds. Queensland host two finals at Allan Border Field in recent years.South Australia premier Peter Malinauskas has even got involved and has already spoken to the local AFL clubs about the issue.”This issue has been drawn to my attention, I did spend a bit of time on the weekend making a few calls,” Malinauskas told ABC radio last week. “I’m pretty optimistic that with some hard-headed reason, there’s a compromise to be had here that would allow it to be played at Adelaide Oval.”But everyone is going to have to give a little bit. There’s a whole bunch of moving parts to this, but after the calls I’ve made, I’m pretty optimistic we’re going to get the right outcome if wiser heads prevail. I think the Crows have an appetite for pragmatism here, and that is to their great credit. The AFL’s got a role to play.”South Australia’s final Shield game of the home and away season starts on Saturday March 15 but it was already scheduled to be played at Karen Rolton Oval.The AFL are receptive to allowing the final to be played in between weekend football games with AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon saying that the league was open to co-operating.”Like we do with other sports where we have a scheduling clash, we’re fortunate to play in the best stadiums in Australia across all of our capital cities and we know those stadiums get built and operate because they are multi-sport,” Dillon said at a press conference on last week. “So if it can be accommodated within our schedule, we absolutely would look at that.”Playing the final at Adelaide Oval would shorten the turnaround from the last regular-season round from seven days to five for whichever travelling team qualifies. Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria all still a chance depending on the results of the final round.Lehmann, Alex Carey and Travis Head are the only current South Australian players who played in their last Shield final. Lehmann, whose father Darren played in the state’s triumph at Adelaide Oval in 1996, said he would love to play the decider at the ground.”If that arises, that’d be awesome, because I think the last time we played in the Shield final at home was at Glenelg,” Lehmann said. “We actually got a pretty good crowd there, and it was good. But also, I love Adelaide Oval. I think it’s the best stadium in the world. You know, it just produces good wicket good cricket wicket, great stadium. so I’d love to be able to do that.”Meanwhile, Harris confirmed that Carey will be available for both South Australia’s final Shield game of the season against Queensland and the final.”As far as I know, he’s back next week, and for the final now,” Harris said. “That’s huge. Getting a player who’s playing pretty well at the moment. I watched his innings the other night in the Champions Trophy, I don’t think I’ve seen him bat as good as that.”But Head is not going to be around. Having captained South Australia in their last two Shield finals, Head is committed to playing in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and their first game is on March 23. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson, who both played Shield games this season for South Australia, are also IPL bound.”All fine with that,” Harris said. “That’s what they want to do. I think they’re probably having a bit of FOMO now and would want to be here. But that’s alright.”

New Zealander will captain Spirit in men’s Hundred alongside county stint

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2025New Zealand batter Kane Williamson has become the first direct overseas signing in the men’s Hundred and will captain London Spirit during this year’s competition, as previously reported on ESPNcricinfo. He will also play for Middlesex during a four-month stay in the UK.Williamson, 34, has not played in the Hundred, despite being picked up in the original draft by Birmingham Phoenix, withdrawing from his deal in 2021 to manage an elbow issue. He will make his debut in the season opener at Lord’s on August 5, having agreed a contract with Spirit as part of new rules allowing teams to sign a player outside of the draft via one of their 10 retentions spots.”We’re thrilled to have Kane on board for this summer,” Fraser Stewart, London Spirit’s general manager, said. “For us to be able to make a direct signing of this calibre is truly exciting for London Spirit, and I am sure that he will be looking forward to captaining our talented side.”London Spirit were the most highly valued team in the ECB’s process to sell equity in the Hundred, with a Silicon Valley consortium expected to pay £145 million for a 49% share. Talks have begun with MCC over the team’s name and branding, but they will remain unchanged for this year.Williamson said: “Our international schedule has allowed for a bit of break during the English summer, and I was looking to come to the UK with my family, so when this opportunity arose it was a really exciting prospect. The Home of Cricket is one of my favourite grounds in the world for so many different reasons. I’ve had so many incredible moments there.Related

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• MCC in discussions to rename London Spirit, change team colours

“Every player in the world holds Lord’s in the highest regard. They have been able to maintain the tradition around playing there, and that’s what makes it unique to any other place in the world.”Williamson, who has previously turned out for Gloucestershire and Yorkshire in county cricket, is expected to be available for at least 10 of Middlesex’s Vitality Blast and at least five County Championship fixtures during the latter half of the season. He will arrive in May, following his involvement at the PSL with Karachi Kings.While New Zealand will tour Zimbabwe to play all three formats in July-August, Williamson is no longer centrally contracted by NZC and free to prioritise other opportunities.”I’ve played a bit of county cricket in the past, but not for a number of years now, so when this opportunity arose with Middlesex it was a really exciting prospect,” Williamson added.”To be able to play for Middlesex – a fine club with a rich heritage – is really exciting and something that I’m really looking forward to being a part of. There’s a good balance of youth and experience in the Middlesex squad, which is great, and I’m really excited to join up with the team, meet the players in the squad and helping out wherever I can.”Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said: “We are hugely excited about Kane joining Middlesex this summer and are looking forward to him making a positive impact in both our Blast and Championship campaigns.”To have secured one of the most talented players in the world game is a real coup, and we can’t wait to welcome him to Lord’s and to seeing him heading out with the three Seaxes on his chest.”Having a player like Kane in the Middlesex dressing room will be a huge plus for the entire squad, and especially our younger players, who will benefit enormously from playing alongside one of the world’s best.”

Travis Head is not expected to feature for Adelaide Strikers before the Sri Lanka tour

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jan-2025Mitchell Marsh, who was dropped for the final Test against India, is in line to play his first BBL match for nearly three years after being added to Perth Scorchers’ squad to face Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium on Tuesday.Quick bowler Jhye Richardson has also been made available for a BBL return having been part of the Test squad for the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar series.Related

• Smith, Labuschagne, Khawaja on BBL restrictions; bowlers and Head ruled out

• Offspin to pace, and a mountain of runs: Webster's rise to Test cricket

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• What did victory over India tell us about Australia's present and future?

Availability of other Test players will be confirmed in the coming days, but Travis Head has effectively confirmed he won’t be featuring for Adelaide Strikers.”I’m wrecked,” Head told Fox Cricket at the SCG on Sunday. “I don’t know what I’m going to do in the next few days but we’ve got 10 or 12 days off now before we go to Sri Lanka and I’m going to use every little bit of that.”Marsh returned to Perth on Monday following Australia’s series-clinching victory at the SCG where he had ceded his place in the side to Beau Webster who went on to produce a memorable debut.Marsh could be available for a longer run with Scorchers through to the end of the BBL if he doesn’t make the squad for the Sri Lanka tour which is due to be named later this week.His last BBL outing was in January 2022, after which he missed the following season having opted to have ankle surgery in a bid to earn a Test recall which came to fruition in the 2023 Ashes, where he scored a century at Headingley. He remained a fixture in the side until a few days ago when he paid the price for a lean series with the bat.Webster could be available for Melbourne Stars’ next game against Sydney Sixers on Thursday and also the return derby against Renegades on January 12.Steven Smith (Sydney Sixers), Sam Konstas (Sydney Thunder), Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane Heat), Usman Khawaja (Brisbane Heat), Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers), Nathan Lyon (Melbourne Renegades) and Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers) are the other players from the Test squad who could turn out for their BBL teams. Scott Boland, who plays for Melbourne Stars, may be rested after his workload in the final two Tests.Most of those names are then likely to be part of the Sri Lanka tour which begins with a training camp in Dubai. Teams that reach the BBL finals will be without any of the players who are on that trip.

Assistant coach hints England will have to “adapt” with 536 more runs required, seven wickets in hand on final day

Matt Roller05-Jul-2025England have conceded that securing only their second draw in the last three years would represent a good result at Edgbaston after India exerted their dominance on day four. Marcus Trescothick, their assistant coach, refused to rule out an early win but hinted that England would have to “adapt” with 536 more runs required and seven wickets in hand on the final day.Supporters in the Eric Hollies Stand sang “stand up if you still believe” during the final hour of play on Saturday, and Trescothick said, smiling, that England’s coaching staff joined them in rising to their feet. “That’s the position of the team: we are always trying to be as positive as we can,” he said.”We all probably appreciate that it’s a hell of a lot of runs to try and score. It’s 550 [536] tomorrow and I don’t think we’ve seen scoring rates quite that quick in a day, so of course it will be challenging. But we’ve probably about another 10 to 15 overs of the balls at the hardest point before it gets a little bit soft, and then we’ll see how we’re going from that point, really.”Related

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Asked if a draw could be considered a good result, Trescothick said: “Whenever the situation is changing, of course it is. When you get to the point that you can [only] draw the game, of course.”We’re not stupid enough to [think] that you have to just win or lose. There are three results possible in every game that you play. But we have done some things in our time that are different to what we’ve done before.”Trescothick also claimed, despite repeated public statements to the contrary from players and staff, that England’s disavowal of the draw under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s leadership was the result of the media’s “perception” rather than an accurate reflection of the team’s attitude.”This has kind of built up away from probably what the changing room messages are,” he said. “You guys have a perception of what you think goes on in the changing room, and we obviously understand it a little bit more [than] the perception of what we’re trying to do.”We’re trying to give the players the best opportunity to win games every time that we go out to play, and then if we can’t do that, then we try and adapt accordingly, and plan ahead to what we’re going to try and do.”England scored at 4.5 runs per over on the fourth evening and would need to score even faster throughout day five to pull off a world-record run chase of 608. It would be an unprecedented achievement, but Trescothick said that there would be no talk of survival or digging in for a draw within the dressing room.”I don’t think we use that sort of language,” he said. “It’s not the sort of changing room that we are. We’re not naive enough to know (sic) that it’s a very challenging total… Do you just go in your bunker and just sort of dig it out? Some players may do that.”You just don’t know really, and it’s [up to] individuals that can adapt to the game and understand what’s happening. But you’ve got to understand our changing room is a different type of culture in terms of what we’ve done in the past.”Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, suggested that England’s attacking approach could play into his team’s favour on the final day. “It’s definitely going to be an exciting day of cricket. Harry [Brook] did say last night in the media that they’re going to chase or go at everything or anything that we set for them.”They’re attacking players. That’s their brand of cricket they want to play. They probably might have a go at it for a while and then reassess, but I think we are in for an exciting day of cricket. It’s still fast-scoring, the wicket is still playing nicely, so let’s see what tomorrow brings.”Asked if India’s relatively late declaration reflected a sense that India’s players and staff were genuinely worried that England could chase down their target, Morkel laughed. “Worried? No. Not really,” he said, adding: “If a team scores 500-plus on the final day then they deserve to win.”

The bowlers set up the win for Amazon Warriors, restricting Patriots to 153 despite a 41-ball 60 from Fletcher

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2025Guyana Amazon Warriors made it look quite easy, putting in a strong bowling performance that got them a low target, and then knocking off the runs with 16 balls in hand to win their opening game of CPL 2025, beating St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The bowlers set up the win for Amazon Warriors, but the standout star of the show was Ben McDermott, who slammed 75 in 39 balls to make the chase a canter, with support from Shai Hope, who hit an unbeaten 56 in 39 balls.Amazon Warriors opted to field, and had a slice of fortune early on when Evin Lewis, who had looked in good nick on the previous night, hurt his bottom hand while hitting a swivel-pull off Shamar Joseph in the second over that went for four – not before a comical bit of (mis)fielding from Romario Shepherd in the deep. Lewis had to retire hurt.They made their own luck soon after when Dwaine Pretorius got rid of Kyle Mayers, but then came a big stand, though not a quick one, between opener Andre Fletcher and Rilee Rossouw. They scored 45 runs in 28 balls, but Rossouw had a struggle all the way, scoring 12 in 14 balls before falling to Imran Tahir.Fletcher held the innings together, scoring 60 in 41 balls before falling in the 17th over with the scoreboard reading 114 for 5. Well behind par. The impetus, which gave Patriots a competitive total, came courtesy Jyd Goolie, who scored an unbeaten 15-ball 24, and Abbas Afridi, with a five-ball 10.Andre Fletcher put up a solo show with the bat for Patriots•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty

The Amazon Warriors bowling effort was a complete one. Of the six bowlers used, Moeen Ali, who bowled just one, was the only one without a wicket. Pretorius got three, and Tahir two.The defence for Patriots started well with Kevlon Anderson falling to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the second over, but it was a lot of leather-chasing for them after that, as McDermott and Hope put up 114 runs for the second wicket off just 59 balls – exactly what Patriots had failed to do when Fletcher was holding up one end.McDermott did the early running, making sure Amazon Warriors matched Patriots’ powerplay score of 55 for 1 (plus Lewis retiring hurt) with 54 for 1 of their own. Hope picked up speed after that, and the two put in a sequence of ten, 13, eight, 22 (off Afridi) runs between overs seven and 11 to put Amazon Warriors firmly on top, though McDermott fell at the end of the 11th over. His innings, which earned him the Player-of-the-Match award, included ten fours and four sixes.A few more wickets fell, but Hope stayed on to finish the job, hitting 56 in 39 balls with five fours and two sixes.For the vanquished Patriots, the loss came the day after they had won their first game – and the first game of the tournament – against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

SA’s wicketkeeper has backed her team to bounce back after they folded for 69 against England

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-20252:03

Jafta: ‘We were a bit rushed against England’

South Africa’s wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta has welcomed the change in venue – they have moved to Indore – after being skittled for 69 against England in Guwahati on Saturday. South Africa will meet New Zealand in Indore on Monday, nearly a year after the teams had faced each other in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Dubai. New Zealand have already played a game in Indore in this World Cup.”We always knew coming into a tournament like this, games like this happen,” Jafta said. “Because it’s such a long tournament, we just have to accept what has happened. Laura [Wolvaardt] capped it off nicely and said, we don’t become a bad batting unit overnight. Obviously, homework was done, and now we’re just looking forward to the next one.”We had to leave the town [Guwahati] behind us. When you look and you’re coming into Indore, the people have been fantastic. For us, it’s like a fresh perspective. We saw the first game they had – it was a high-scoring day. For us as a batting unit, it’s just to knuckle down and bat. Don’t think too much about the outcome. Just take it one ball at a time.”Related

• Wolvaardt: 'We are much, much better than 69 all out'

• New Zealand and South Africa meet after a year with both teams needing a pick-me-up

While Jafta admitted that South Africa had erred with their approach against England, she said her team “won’t dwell’ on the batting collapse.”We were a bit rushed,” Jafta said. “We weren’t really present in that moment. When I went back, I realised I wasn’t really present in the delivery I went out. It wasn’t a good day, but we won’t dwell on it. We’ve got another opportunity.”That opportunity comes against a New Zealand side, which is also coming off a defeat, against Australia. Jafta said that South Africa will not underestimate New Zealand whom they have not faced in an ODI since October 2023.”You have the likes of Amelia Kerr, Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine – players who’ve been playing for a really long time,” she said. “But also, you’re not underestimating your Georgia Plimmer, your [Maddy] Greens, your Izzy Gaze – she came off. For us as a bowling unit, it’s about being very disciplined in how we go about our things.”Laura Wolvaardt tunes up for the match against New Zealand in Indore•ICC via Getty Images

Execution, Jafta said, will be crucial, something the team has focused on during their recent tours of the subcontinent. South Africa won a T20I series 2-1 in Pakistan before the World Cup and took part in a tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka in Colombo, where they lost three out of four matches, in May.”We’ve been playing in these conditions – it’s nothing new,” she said. “I always make a joke, we’ve probably faced all of these deliveries in net sessions. Why can’t we just go into a game and execute? We had a blowout, but we’ve got New Zealand ahead of us.”We know that when it comes to being tactical, they [New Zealand] are probably high up there, so we have to bring in full intensity. Coach has said, ‘Leave everything behind. Tomorrow is another opportunity.’ A lot of different individuals will put up their hands in tomorrow’s game.”

Despite being cleared by Cricket South Africa (CSA), South Africa’s bowling coach, Vincent Barnes, says the suspicion over Botha’s action “will always be there”

Firdose Moonda30-Oct-2009The trouble with having a charge laid against you is that, whether you’re cleared or not and even if you pay your penance, you’ll always be regarded with some suspicion. Just ask Jacob Zuma, Chris Brown or even Johan Botha. After being cited for a suspect action for the third time, Botha must feel like a wanted criminal every time he steps out to play.Despite being cleared by Cricket South Africa (CSA), Vincent Barnes, South Africa’s bowling coach says the suspicion over Botha’s action “will always be there”, but it is something the bowler has learned to deal with. According to Barnes, Botha always had a mature attitude to his problem and recognised that the question marks over his action were unlikely to disappear.Before being called in the match between the Warriors and the Lions in East London, Botha had already planned to undergo testing at the Sports Science Institute this week. “It was just a coincidence that he was called, and he had to have the tests done for more serious reasons,” said Barnes. “We know that his bowling has to be monitored on a regular basis and this was part of that process.”Botha was last tested in May, when he was banned from bowling the doosra, and although there were more tests lined up in the future, Barnes said they had not conducted one because of Botha’s playing schedule. Since that test, he played a few IPL matches, the World Twenty20, the Champions Trophy and three first-class games.It was in the last of those games when “a few deliveries were thought to be suspect,” said Barnes, who was confident that the offspinner would be cleared even before the testing took place. “We were asked to focus on a particular delivery, which was the quicker one,” said Barnes. “Ironically, in the previous testing, the quicker delivery was the one with the lowest degrees.”Even though he thought Botha would come through the testing with no problem, Barnes said it was imperative to have a back-up plan in place. “We don’t want him to banned from bowling another delivery, so if we found something irregular than we would definitely work on it. The reality is that he is always going to have an awkward action because he can’t straighten his arm. He has a natural bend at the elbow.”The solution is that he has to bowl as naturally as he can. He is aware that he has to be careful and we will be monitoring him on a weekly basis.”The first time he was called [on his Test debut in January 2006], it took him 18 months to get back into the national side, so every time this happens it could determine where his career goes from now.”Botha has had to accept that ongoing testing would be part of his career, but it certainly becomes stressful every time he has to go under the microscope. During the May test, Barnes said: “I asked him which is more pressure: bowling now in the test or if this was the last ball of the World Cup final and you could win or lose the match with it? He said the test was more stressful.”It is for this reason that Barnes thinks testing bowlers in an indoor facility is not a fair way of determining if their action is legal or not. “In my opinion, they must be tested in the environment they are playing in,” Barnes said. “The testing is all done in an artificial environment where the surfaces and the conditions are different. For example, there is no wind, they don’t use boots, and there’s no batsman. The fatigue factor is completely taken out of it, because they only bowl 10 deliveries of a particular ball. But in a match, they could get called after 24 overs, when the bowler is feeling completely different.”Barnes admits that with the various camera angles required to conduct the testing, it’s unlikely that it can take place in a match situation, but he is hopeful that there is another way.

Litton and Shamim bring the power with the bat before Rishad and the seamers skittle the hosts

Madushka Balasuriya13-Jul-2025
Bangladesh snapped their six-game losing streak in dominant fashion as they handed Sri Lanka a 83-run defeat in front of a packed house in Dambulla, and with it levelled the three match series 1-1.Litton Das’ 76 off 50 – he put to rest a 13-match run without a fifty – headlined Bangladesh’s innings, but it was Shamim Hossain’s destructive 48 off 27 that shifted the winds in Bangladesh’s favour.Chasing 178, Sri Lanka’s top order failed to fire – unlike in Kandy – and an excellent Bangladesh effort with the ball and in the field ensured the Sri Lanka middle and lower order were not able to bail them out either.To the crowd’s credit they hung around as wicket after wicket fell, but as early as the 12th over the droves began to filter out, as the last recognised batter – Dasun Shanaka – fell with just 73 runs on the board. Sri Lanka’s innings lasted just 15.2 overs.

The Shamim show

It was the 12th over of the Bangladesh innings that shifted the game in the visitors’ favour, as it brought Shamim to the crease earlier than might have initially been planned. At the time though, the innings looked anything but redeemable.The openers had thrown their wickets away in what might be described as cosplay efforts of aggression on a good batting surface, while Litton and Towhid Hridoy’s efforts at consolidation had helped their side avert a collapse.However, when Towhid sliced one to short third and Mehidy Hasan Miraz scooped another to short fine leg, it looked as if all that consolidation had gone to waste. But Shamim’s entry changed the dynamics of the innings, and indeed the game.Off just second ball he faced he cut one away from close to the stumps. A couple of deliveries later the pace was taken off, but Shamim responded with a bat swing that was even more rapid. Shamim’s next boundaries came against Sri Lanka’s death-bowling specialists – three off Nuwan Thushara, and one each off Maheesh Theekshana and Binura Fernando.But the expert ball-striking and placement was only a small part of Shamim’s innings. Across his 27 deliveries faced, only five were dots. Shamim was then at the heart of disrupting Sri Lanka’s chase, effecting the run out of Kusal Mendis and holding on to running catch in the deep to remove Avishka Fernando.His energy was infectious, and even if his eagerness for singles might have eventually led to his – and Jaker Ali’s – downfall in the final over as they sought to steal runs to the keeper, the momentum he had created would create the conditions for Bangladesh’s ultimate victory.

Litton’s lifelines

Litton hadn’t come into this game in any great form. He’d scored a pair of 40s this year, but his last 50-plus score in T20Is had come all the way back in June 2024. Even his coach had to acknowledge prior to the game that his skipper wasn’t in the best of form.So, when Litton sauntered down the track and missed a wide one from Jeffrey Vandersay, it seemed inevitable that lean run was destined to continue. Kusal Mendis, however, was unable to gather this wide legbreak that spun even wider, and Litton survived. He was on 30 at the time.Had he fallen then, perhaps Sri Lanka might have pressed home their advantage further. But in reality, the more painful missed chance came some six overs later, with Litton shanking an attempted sweep on 56, only to be dropped by Theekshana at mid-off in the 16th over.By the time Theekshana had dismissed Litton three overs later, he had added a further 20 runs to his total and the momentum had decidedly shifted in Bangladesh’s favour.

SL’s middle order fails the test

In the first T20I, the chase was effectively killed inside the powerplay by the sheer belligerence of Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. In those two, Sri Lanka have power-hitters to rival some of the best in the world, but the question lingered around the capabilities of the rest of the batting.In Dambulla, that question was put to the test. Kusal was run out early, and some tight bowling by Bangladesh’s revamped bowling attack – both Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam were drafted in for this game – meant Nissanka was kept quiet for long periods before eventually falling tamely.But at the first time of asking this series, the collective grade was a resounding ‘F’. None of Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera or Charith Asalanka were able to provide the sort of counterpunch demanded in such scenarios. Though the lower-order enforcers in Chamika Karunaratne and Shanaka fared little better, the chase was always beyond Sri Lanka’s reach. Such was Bangladesh’s hold on the game.

England collapse after Archie Vaughan’s 60 before Bennie Hansen steadies run chase

ECB Reporters Network22-Jan-2025Daniel Bosman took three wickets in four balls as South Africa Men U19s clinched the Youth ODI series against England Men U19s with a four-wicket win in Stellenbosch.Young Lions captain Archie Vaughan top-scored with 60 but his dismissal prompted a collapse of four wickets in seven balls as the tourists were bowled out for 156.South Africa skipper Bennie Hansen then hit 56, falling just short of guiding his side home, after Tazeem Ali’s three wickets had caused a mid-innings wobble. The hosts steadied to reach the target in 35.1 overs.It was spinner Bosman who turned the game with his three wickets in the 37th over immediately after Vaughan, who had struck six boundaries, was caught off a miscue to the final ball of the previous over from Bandile Mbatha.Bosman’s key over saw Joe Moores bowled attempting a lap sweep before Harry Moore was stumped thanks to sharp hands from Hansen. Bosman then parried a return catch from Eddie Jack and saw it fall to him as he stumbled to the ground.South Africa made a solid start as Adnaan Lagadien and Chad Mason added 49 for the first wicket before Hansen took up the attack with a 46-ball half-century.The Young Lions battled back through Warwickshire spinner Ali, who returned 3 for 51, but the hosts needed only seven more when Hansen edged Alex Green to wicketkeeper Thomas Rew on 57.The two-Youth Test series begins at Coertzenburg Cricket Club in Stellenbosch on 27 January.