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England’s women will take on Australia in their first day-night Test match, as part of the 2017-18 Ashes schedule that has today been confirmed by the ECB and Cricket Australia.The series, which will take place during the build-up to the men’s Ashes in October and November, will once again feature three ODIs, three T20s and the one-off Test, in a continuation of the successful points-based system that has been utilised since 2013.

Women’s Ashes 2017-18

An ECB delegation has spent time in Australia this month assessing the Big Bash League as they step up preparations for a high-powered tournament of their own.Anthony Everard, the league manager of the Big Bash, said the delegation, led by the ECB’s head of commercial partnerships, Mike Fordham, “asked all the right questions” when they met. Fordham was joined by Gordon Hollins, the ECB’s chief operating officer, as well as two county cricket chief executives, Somerset’s Guy Lavender and Nottinghamshire’s Lisa Pursehouse.The travelling contingent are representing the “T20 working group”, which was established in December and also contains Rob Calder, the ECB’s head of marketing, and Tom Johnson, the head of business support as well as the chief executive of the PCA, David Leatherdale.It is understood that they are not looking to file a formal report from the BBL, but are observing and researching the way Cricket Australia and the clubs have pulled off the highly successful competition.Anthony Everard, league manager of the Big Bash League•Getty Images

ECB delegations have become a regular feature of the Big Bash as the future of T20 in England remains undecided. “There is a mutual curiosity,” Everard told ESPNcricinfo. “We welcome the ECB, we spent the morning with them, and they asked all the right questions. There is common ground, but also apples and oranges.”The BBL model has effectively tapped its target market: anybody who had not been to a cricket match before. The ECB appreciates that due to a differing population spread and starting point (18 counties, rather than six states) they cannot simply replicate but they do seem increasingly determined to hold a comparable eight-team competition from 2020.Last year, ECB’s market research suggested that only 13% of fans at NatWest T20 Blast games were under 16, and that the average was between 48 and 49, prompting fears about where the next generation of fans would come from and strengthening determination that a shake-up was required.Progress on the project – which has received significant opposition from county members – is expected when the county chairmen and CEOs meet at the end of March.This is not the first time the ECB have visited the BBL – which is averaging 29,875 fans per match this season, as well as free-to-air TV ratings of more than 1m people per night – for inspiration for their own competition. Last year Sanjay Patel, the chief sales and marketing officer, travelled to Australia to assess the competition. Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, travelled to the USA in November to meet with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to research how the competition’s media rights package could work.The ECB are not the only overseas board in town to pick the BBL’s brains. Damien O’Donohoe, the Caribbean Premier League’s chief executive, has also met with his Australian counterparts this week.

Vishnu Vinod’s maiden T20 fifty led Kerala to a 21-run victory over Andhra in Chennai. With him lasting as long as the 15th over, making sure both the first and the second wicket partnerships totalled 50 runs or more, Kerala were able to put up 175 for 7 in their 20 overs. Bandaru Ayyappa and KV Sasikanth were Andhra’s most successful bowlers, picking up 2 for 39 and 2 for 29 respectively. Kerala’s bowlers built on their batsmen’s momentum, with Sandeep Warrier (2-28) and Basil Thampi (3-18) handing out ducks to Andhra’s No. 3 Prasanth Kumar and their captain Hanuma Vihari. Although Ricky Bhui found back with 48 off 36 balls, supported by Dwaraka Ravi Teja (33 off 20) and Shoaib Md Khan (20 off 7), they couldn’t make up for the top-order mishaps.File photo – S Badrinath hit 49 off 22 in Hyderabad’s thumping win over Goa•BCCI

Hyderabad crushed Goa by 51 runs, thanks to Tanmay Agarwal’s career-best 91 that helped them post 224 in Chennai. Agarwal put on 111 for the opening wicket with Akshath Reddy (55 off 32) and 97 for the second with S Badrinath (49 off 22) before his 48-ball knock came to an end. With the exception of debutant legspinner Ganeshraj Narvekar (1-28), all of Goa’s bowlers went at more than 9.5 per over. In their response, Goa lost early wickets and were kept tight by medium-pacers M Ravi Kiran and Mohammed Siraj, who took 1 for 53 in the eight overs between them. Sagun Kamat (50 off 44) and Saurabh Bandekar (53* off 25) scored half-centuries, but Goa could muster only 173 for 5 in their 20 overs.Dinesh Karthik steered Tamil Nadu out of choppy waters•Sivaraman Kitta

A 55-run stand for the sixth wicket between Dinesh Karthik (45) and M Ashwin (34) helped Tamil Nadu overcome a middle order wobble to beat Karnataka by four wickets. They chased down Karnataka’s 144 for 9, achieved largely thanks to R Samarth’s 40, with four balls to spare. Karnataka were left to rue a poor fielding effort that resulted in them reprieving Ashwin twice in one over off R Vinay Kumar; Mohammad Taha put down the chances at long-on. Samarth aside, five other Karnataka batsmen made double figures; three of them made 16.

Alastair Cook was left ruing missed chances in the field as England succumbed to an innings defeat in Mumbai.While Cook admitted England had erred in selection – picking four seamers on a pitch where India’s spinners claimed 19 wickets – he felt the defining moments of the game came when England failed to take chances to dismiss all three of India’s centurions in the relatively early stages of their innings.Jonny Bairstow missed a stumping opportunity off M Vijay when he had 45, Virat Kohli was put down by Adil Rashid – a difficult caught and bowled chance – on 68, and Joe Root put down Jayant Yadav at slip when he had eight. Vijay went on to score 136, Kohli made 235 and Yadav 104.The frustration for Cook is that these things keep happening. The series against Pakistan was littered with missed opportunities – and Rashid also put down a tough chance off Kohli in Visakhapatnam when he had scored 56. He went on to make 167.”I keep going back to the chances we missed,” Cook told . “That’s why we lost this game.”Yes, we would have liked another spinner. But with the side we had, we had opportunities to bowl India out for 400 and we just didn’t take them.”Obviously Virat played an extraordinary innings, but we had a chance to get rid of him on 60-odd. Yadav got a 100 and we had a couple of chances to get rid of him. And those are the things the game is changing on. This team, at the moment, we’re not taking those chances. It’s those opportunities that have cost us.”Cook also admitted England “didn’t need that extra seamer” in Mumbai. Going into the match with six bowlers – two spinners and four quicks – Cook was obliged to ask Rashid and Moeen Ali to deliver more than 50 overs, while none of the seamers bowled more than 20.”That was a mistake,” he said. “It’s kind of the problem when you don’t have any games between Test Matches. We really wanted to see what four seamers looked like, because they are the bowlers so far on this tour who have given us the most control and our two best spinners have been Mo and Rash.”Maybe if we’d bowled first we’d have more control with the four seamers. But clearly when you bat first, you didn’t need that extra seamer.”Whether it would have changed the game… we were in this game with the balance of that side. We had an opportunity when they were 307 for 6 to restrict India’s lead. Historically, 180 is a good score here in the third innings and it’s very hard to score much in the fourth innings. So we would have been in the game.”But would have, could have isn’t really good enough and that’s the bottom line: we haven’t been good enough to get over the line.”Cook had praise for Kohli, though: “He’s in incredible form. He’s having one of those series you dream of as a player and a captain. You lead from the front and you score a hell of a lot of runs and that’s a huge amount of credit to him. He’s clearly one of the great batsmen of our generation. And certainly in these conditions, he’s very hard to bowl at when he’s in this form.”

ScorecardTammy Beaumont made 78 from 79 balls•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont anchored England’s run-chase with 78 from 79 balls to secure a 3-0 series lead against Sri Lanka in Colombo, with the fourth and final ODI to come at the same venue on Thursday.Despite losing the toss and being asked to field first, England seized control of the contest from the outset, pinning Sri Lanka down to a run-rate of three an over with a disciplined bowling performance in which their three spinners, Laura Marsh, Alex Hartley and Danielle Hazell, each picked up two wickets apiece.Sri Lanka’s innings never really gathered any momentum. Nipuni Hansika, the opening batsman, top-scored with 29 from 66 balls, but she was the second wicket to fall, bowled by Hazell in the 21st over, and England never relinquished their stranglehold. The hosts were all out for 161 with two balls of their innings left unused, having lost their last eight wickets for 82.In reply, England lost Lauren Winfield and Danni Wyatt in the space of six deliveries to slip to 60 for 2, but a fourth-wicket stand of 67 between Beaumont and Fran Wilson (30) carried the team to the brink of victory.Both players fell in the space of two runs to take the gloss off the win – Wilson was caught behind off Chamari Atapattu before Beaumont became Sugandika Kumari’s only wicket of the innings with six runs still required. But Georgia Elwiss and Amy Jones wrapped up the win with 20.3 overs left unused.

Match facts

October 9, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)

Big picture

Having been clouted to all parts of Centurion, the Wanderers, and most brutally in Durban, Australia’s punch-drunk bowlers will be seeking some respite in Port Elizabeth. Equally, Steven Smith, the touring captain, will be eager to add some respectability to a series score line that is as stark as the contrast between crestfallen Australia and jubilant South Africa on Wednesday night at Kingsmead.Unfortunately for Smith, and coach Darren Lehmann, Australia’s options for an improved line-up are slim. Scott Boland arrived as one of the more experienced members of the attack, but was promptly dropped after game one, while Joe Mennie’s fast-medium pace also lasted only one match before he was shuffled back out. The spectre of defeat invariably leads to players starting to think of their own positions in the team, and it will be critical for Lehmann and Smith to ensure minds remain focused on the task.Lehmann has stated that he believes the biggest problem for Australia’s bowlers has been an inability to replicate training patterns under the spotlight of crowds, television cameras and confident opponents, something for assistant coach David Saker, and Ryan Harris, the bowling assistant, to ponder.”We’ve got to find a way to get some early wickets and put some pressure back on South Africa, and at the moment, we’re not doing that,” Lehmann said after Durban. “And we’re not doing the good things that we do in the nets and taking them out into the middle in front of a packed house. At the end of the day, the blokes have trained really well and prepared well, and bowled really well in the nets, but international cricket is quite pressurised. They’ve just got to get used to that.”For South Africa, Port Elizabeth will be about seeking to avoid a let-down following the heights of Kingsmead and the sealing of the series. Acting captain Faf du Plessis appeared somewhat shocked to have been on the winning end of that match, something for which he had David Miller to thank, with a century that was scored having picked up a groin injury that has proved bad enough to leave him sidelined. The hosts will also be mindful of trying to keep Australia’s batsmen under slightly more control than they managed in game three, even if a mighty total ultimately proved inadequate.

Form guide

South Africa: WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LLLWW

In the spotlight

Early in South Africa’s chase in Durban, Quinton de Kock was subjected to plenty of verballing by the Australians in reference to a slow start that was soaking up balls. That baiting seemed primarily to wake de Kock from his initial slumber, and he went on to hammer 70 from a mere 49 balls to get South Africa off to the start they needed to stand a chance. Off the back of his punishing 178 in the opening game, his wicket looms as vital to Australia’s chances.John Hastings’ reputation for miserly spells has taken something of a hit in recent days, as he has not been able to quell South Africa’s scoring in ways that he has previously managed against other teams. As the most experienced member of the bowling attack on tour, Hastings will be expected to step up in Port Elizabeth and lead a better collective display.

Teams news

The groin injury which Miller sustained during his monumental matchwinning hundred will keep him out of the rest of the series which is likely to mean a recall for Farhaan Behardien. The rest of the recast batting order, which made room for Hashim Amla by shuffling Rilee Rossouw down the order, can be expected to be retained. Dale Steyn, however, may be rested now that the series is decided as could Kagiso Rabada with the possibility of playing an extra spinner.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien , 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Dale Steyn/Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada/Aaron Phangiso, 11 Imran TahirScott Boland may be in line for a recall by Australia’s tour selectors, after the bowling attack was hard-hit once again in Durban. Usman Khawaja is also waiting for his next chance.Australia: (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steve Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Mathew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Chris Tremain, 11 Daniel Worrall/Scott Boland

Pitch and conditions

Spin, and pace off the ball will likely play a role on one of South Africa’s slower pitches. The weather forecast for Port Elizabeth is for fine conditions, with periods of cloud cover.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won four of the seven ODI encounters between the two teams at Port Elizabeth, though South Africa have won the two most recent contests, in 2009 and 2011
• Australia haven’t lost four matches in an ODI series since England won 4-0 with one match rained out in 2012

Quotes

“I think we worked out we’re taking pretty much seven of our first-choice one-day team out of the bowling attack, and when you go through that it’s some high-quality bowling. But it’s an opportunity for the young guys to learn, to learn quickly and learn what they need to do to step up in international cricket. At the moment, we’re failing in that and they’ve got to get better.”

Batsman Shai Hope and allrounder Rovman Powell have been picked in West Indies’ squad for next month’s tri-series in Zimbabwe, after the selectors decided to drop Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin. Pollard and Ramdin’s exclusions are the only changes to the squad that suffered a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series against Pakistan earlier this month.

WI ODI squad for Zimbabwe

Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder (capt), Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels
In Shai Hope, Rovman Powell
Out Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin

Both Pollard and Ramdin had poor returns in the limited-overs series in the UAE. Pollard managed 43 runs in the three T20s, and bowled two overs, going wicketless. In the three-match ODI series, Pollard scored 42 runs at an average of 14.00. He took one wicket in the 12 overs he bowled across the three matches. Ramdin, who was recalled to the ODI squad, compiled 79 runs at 26.33 in the three ODIs and did not feature in the T20s.Hope, who is a part of the Test side in the UAE, is uncapped in limited-overs internationals, but has played six Tests since May 2015 scoring 171 runs at an average of 15.54. He scored 76 in the three-day tour match against the PCB Patron’s XI, played under lights with the pink ball.Powell, uncapped in international cricket, had been named in the T20 squad for the UAE tour following a promising performance in CPL 2016. His only match on the tour was the practice T20 game against the Emirates Cricket Board XI where he scored 38 and bowled two overs for 14 runs.The Zimbabwe series will begin on November 14 with a match between the hosts and Sri Lanka. West Indies’ first match in the series will be against Sri Lanka on November 16. The final will be played on November 27.

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced that they will host Sri Lanka for two Tests followed by a one-day tri-series that will also involve West Indies. The two Tests will be played in Harare, with the first one from October 29 and the second from November 6.The tri-series will begin from November 14 with the first match between the hosts and Sri Lanka at the Harare Sports Club. The three teams will play each other twice, making it a total of six round-robin matches, before the final on November 27. The last four ODIs and the final will all be played in Bulawayo.Sri Lanka’s tour of Zimbabwe was originally scheduled in the FTP with two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I. Later, there were chances of the tour being replaced by the tri-series with West Indies, as the Tests were not being considered as financially viable, but now the Tests and tri-series both will take place. Had that happened, Zimbabwe would have gone without playing a Test for 11 months.There were chances of the Tests being scrapped because of Zimbabwe Cricket’s growing debt and the economic situation of the country as a whole. Recently, the Harare-based players had refused to train in protest over unpaid match fees, which dated back to July last year. The protests ended after being given an assurance by the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Wildfred Mukondiwa.Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka last played a Test in a two-match series in 2004. They have played 15 Tests against each other overall, with Sri Lanka winning 10 of them and five ending in draws.

ScorecardNed Eckersley continued a rich run of form (file photo)•Getty Images

Ned Eckersley’s third consecutive first-class century saw Leicestershire take control at Wantage Road with a first-innings total of 519 before reducing Northamptonshire to 142 for 4 at the close on day two, trailing by 377.Eckersley became just the third man to make three centuries in successive matches for Leicestershire, following Ben Smith in 2001 and Charles Dempster before the war.He helped Leicestershire into a commanding position. They found two early wickets in the Northants reply before the home side recovered from 33 for 2 with pleasant fifties for Rob Keogh and Rob Newton. But when Keogh dragged a cut into his off stump to end a third-wicket stand of 91, and nightwatchman Azharullah was caught at short leg in the final over of the day, the visitors were firmly on top.Their position on the second day was set up by Eckersley’s determined century. He steered his side through the second new ball on the first evening – surviving a tough dropped chance on 4 when pulling towards midwicket – and then cajoled the lower order to help his side post their highest total of the season.When the eighth wicket went down, Eckersley had 71 but he found a game partner in Ben Raine, who, after a skittish start, settled to make a season’s best 64. The pair added a record ninth-wicket stand for Leicestershire against Northants of 123 and Eckersley went through a hundred in 156 balls with 11 fours and a six.Raine eventually fell to Keogh’s offspin and Eckersley was last man out trying to lift the same bowler over long-on, Leicestershire eventually bowled out after 144.2 overs.The visitors then struck in the fifth over of the Northants reply with David Murphy tamely chipping a back-foot drive to extra-cover and Alex Wakely edging Rob Sayer’s offspin to Niall O’Brien. At that stage, it was a very poor day for the home side who again allowed Leicestershire to recover from morning pressure.Ben Sanderson took 3 for 19 in an opening eight-over burst to bring up a third five-for of the season and leave the visitors 356 for 8. First to go was Mark Pettini, adding just eight to his overnight 109, getting lifter that came off the shoulder of the bat to point. Clint McKay edged a back-foot drive behind the wicket and Sayer got a bottom edge into his stumps trying to leave three balls later.But Eckersley remained calm, Raine settled and Leicestershire went on to take control of the game.

New Zealand’s Test squad arrived in Zimbabwe on Wednesday for a two-match series, ending the uncertainty over the tour that had emerged in the wake of widespread protests in Zimbabwe over civil and economic issues.The 15-man squad led by Kane Williamson had undergone a week-long conditioning camp in South Africa and are now in Harare for a three-day warm-up fixture starting on July 22.”It’s nice to finally be here. We had a good tour here last year, so I’m sure it will be much the same,” Tom Latham, the New Zealand opener, said upon arrival in Harare. “It was a good week of preparation for us in South Africa.”It was good to catch up with the guys. We want to win every game, like we do on most tours. “It’s nice to have everyone back, everyone is fully fit. We’ll get the warm-up game out of the way and then focus on the two Tests.”New Zealand Cricket had said earlier this month that they were monitoring the security situation in Zimbabwe following a nationwide strike to protest the lack of jobs and unpaid wages, which had left the city streets deserted. Several other strikes – reportedly featuring the likes of civil servants, doctors, and teachers – have also taken place in the drought-hit country.The first Test begins on July 28, and the second is slated to start on August 6. Both Tests will be played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.