Jake Libby resists for Worcestershire but Liam Trevaskis seals 46-run victory

ECB Reporters Network10-Aug-2021Durham 289 for 9 (Lees 93, Bedingham 66) beat Worcestershire243 (Libby 76) by 46 runsDurham are through to the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup with a game to spare after defeating Worcestershire Rapids by 46 runs at New Road.They are guaranteed to finish in the top two – whatever the outcome of their final home game against Hampshire – under the average points per game system brought in after Gloucestershire’s game with Middlesex was cancelled due to Covid-19.Only Essex Eagles can overhaul Durham who are assured of a home tie in either the play-off stages or the semi-finals.Scott Borthwick opted to bat first on a pitch being used for the fourth time in the 50-over competition and another fine performance from opener Alex Lees helped them total 289 for 9.Lees top-scored with 93 and he is now the leading run-scorer in the competition with 468 from six innings, overtaking his Durham team-mate Graham Clark (419).The Rapids were then dismissed for 243 in 45.1 overs despite a fine 76 from Jake Libby who was one of three victims of spinner Liam Trevaskis after Paul van Meekeren inflicted the early damage.Lees was the dominant partner in an opening stand of 73 with Graham Clark who on 28 swept a Brett D’Oliveira full toss straight to backward square leg.Borthwick (10) was run out after he failed to beat Ed Barnard’s throw from backward point to keeper Gareth Roderick.Jacques Banton – brother of Tom – struck in his first over as Cameron Bancroft (11) gave him the charge and was bowled.David Bedingham upped the tempo and struck successive balls from D’Oliveira over long off and long on for sixHe survived a caught and bowled off Baker on 41 and brought up his half century in the same over with his fourth six off just 34 balls.Finch was also hit for two sixes in two balls by Bedingham but the same over brought the downfall of Lees.He had made 93 from 109 balls when he was bowled by a ball which nipped back after striking one six and six fours.Bedingham advanced to 66 from 41 balls before he lofted Baker straight to Banton at long off.Sean Dickson (15) failed to beat D’Oliveira’s throw from deep midwicket attempting a second run off Barnard and a slower ball from the all-rounder deceived Trevaskis (10)Ned Eckersley gave the Durham innings some late impetus with 36 off 27 balls before he went lbw to Finch hitting across the line and Barnard dismissed Luke Doneathy (10) in the same manner with a swinging Gaelivery.Van Meekeren made two early breakthroughs for Durham.He pulled off a fine low one-handed catch to dismiss D’Oliveira (5) and then trapped Tom Fell (6) lbw after attempting to pull a ball which kept low.Jack Haynes (20) came down the wicket to Trevaskis and was stumped and Roderick (5) was bowled sweeping at the same bowler.Libby completed a 49-ball half-century but he was fighting a lone hand and Barnard, on 15, swept a Clark full toss straight to deep mid wicket.The Rapids’ last realistic hope ended when Libby, having struck five fours in his 88 ball knock, was caught at extra cover off Trevaskis.

Scorchers, Renegades, Heat and Strikers are the confirmed finalists with Perth set to host the title showdown

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2021Melbourne Renegades’ hopes of progressing straight to the grand final ended with a batting collapse against Brisbane Heat meaning Perth Scorchers will – barring mathematical miracles – host the showpiece occasion next weekend.In the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur who was unable to bat in the chase, Renegades never challenged the target in what they will hope will not be a momentum-sapping loss as they head into the Challenger final on Thursday.Georgia Redmayne was the star for Heat, who will face Adelaide Strikers in the Eliminator final on Wednesday, with a superbly-paced 71 off 51 deliveries. She added 82 for the second wicket with Georgia Voll who gave another display of her stroke-making ability. From 1 for 119 in the 15th over Heat may have been a little light with 156 but it didn’t matter.Redmayne then produced the highlight of the second innings with a brilliant leg-side stumping late in the same to remove Ella Hayward off the medium pace of Nadine de Klerk.Darcie Brown again claimed big wickets•Getty Images

Adelaide Strikers secured their spot in the finals by trouncing Sydney Sixers whose forgettable season hit another low as they were bundled out for 82.Strikers raced to their target with 58 balls to spare making it the second-biggest winning margin in a chase in WBBL history. Dane van Niekerk and Katie Mack added 54 inside the powerplay.It was an awful day for Sixers from the moment Alyssa Healy skied Megan Schutt in the opening over. Ash Gardner collected her fourth duck in a row when she edged her first delivery from Darcie Brown and after a brief flurry of runs Ellyse Perry was lbw to the same bowler. Their woes were compounded when Shafali Verma was run out without facing a ball.At 8 for 52 there was a chance Sixers would register the lowest WBBL of all time (66 held jointly by Heat and Hurricanes) but the last two wickets avoided that unwanted record. Captain Tahlia McGrath bowled her four overs for just eight runs.The result confirms the four finalists: Perth Scorchers, Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers. Finishing top means direct entry into the grand final. Third play fourth before the winner of that match plays second to determine the other finalist.Mathilda Carmichael played a vital innings•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers scrambled to a final-ball victory to maintain their push to host a home grand final as the middle order produced an important display to overcome Melbourne Stars whose lingering slim hopes of the knockouts were ended.A tense finish had Scorchers needing nine from the final over which came down to one off the last ball after Alana King was run out attempting a match-winning second. Taneale Peschel struck the final delivery straight to mid-off but Kim Garth missed the run-out attempt.A rare double failure for Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney had put pressure on a Scorchers middle order now missing Chamari Athapaththu. When Heather Graham played on against Annabel Sutherland they were 3 for 39 in the ninth and Chloe Piparo’s departure left them needing 54 off 40 balls. However, Marizanne Kapp and Mathilda Carmichael, the latter with 30 off 20 balls, added 43 to put Scorchers on track before the finish became very tight.Stars’ innings had a bizarre look to it, dominated by Elyse Villani’s 84 off 66 balls with the next-best score being Sutherland’s 9. Despite Villani’s efforts they had struggled to lift the tempo after solid, wicketless powerplay. Kapp went at under three an over with 17 dot balls while King and Heather Graham combined to take 4 for 32 from their eight overs with 24 dots.Hobart Hurricanes 5 for 147 (du Preez 87*) beat Sydney Thunder 9 for 143 (Johnson 39, Vakarewa 3-8)Belinda Vakarewa produced a superb spell•Getty Images

Mignon du Preez and Belinda Vakarewa were at the fore as Hobart Hurrcianes finished their season on a high with a four-run victory over ousted champions Sydney Thunder.du Preez’s 87 off 61 balls was the mainstay of Hurricanes’ innings then Vakarewa returned the outstanding figures of 3 for 8 from four overs which included removing the in-form Smriti Mandhana for a third-ball duck. She later returned to claim Anika Learoyd who had looked capable of taking Thunder close to the winning line.It came down to needing 24 off the last two overs and consecutive boundaries by Phoebe Litchfield lifted their hopes as it became 8 off 5 balls in the final over. However, Sasha Moloney struck twice in two balls then kept Thunder to singles to close out the game.Earlier, Issy Wong had continued her knack of removing big names where she castled Rachel Priest with a full, swinging delivery in the opening over.

Opener hints he might stay for another Ashes tour while also targeting victory in India

Alex Malcolm29-Dec-2021Australia opener David Warner has hinted that he might want another crack at winning an Ashes series in England in 2023.Warner turned 35 in October during the T20 World Cup when he was player of the tournament in Australia’s triumph and he will be nearing 37 by the time the next away series against England rolls around.But after Australia wrapped up the home Ashes series 3-0 inside 12 days at the MCG yesterday, Warner suggested there were still a few things he would like to accomplish before he stops playing Test cricket.”We still haven’t beaten India in India,” Warner said. “That would be nice to do. And obviously, England away, we had a drawn series [in 2019], but hopefully, if I managed to get that chance and opportunity, I might think about going back.”Warner has played 13 Tests across three series in England and eight Tests in two trips to India but Australia have lost four of those five series and Warner has lean records in both nations, averaging 26 and 24 respectively without a century, something that he would clearly like to rectify.He sees age as no barrier having silenced his doubters following sterling performances across the T20 World Cup and the first three Tests of this series.”I think James Anderson sets the benchmark for older guys these days,” Warner said. “We look up to him as we’re getting on in our days. But for me, it’s about performing to the best of my ability and putting runs on the board. In the first two Tests, I actually look like a proper batsman, it’s almost like I’ve played my career the other way and had to knuckle down and respect the bowling and the line and lengths that they were bowling and obviously, the hundred eluded me.”I feel in good touch. As I said, I was out of runs not out of form, so hopefully, I can put some more numbers on the board leading into this new year.”Related

• Scott Boland six-for leads humiliation as Australia romp to Ashes glory

• Eyes on David Warner, but Australia's biggest challenge will be when he's gone

• Not quite a statement, but Harris has given himself something to build on

Warner made it clear that Australia aren’t satisfied with just securing the Ashes at home. The team is already looking forward to upcoming tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka which will be vital in their quest to reach the next World Championship final, an opportunity they missed earlier this year after last summer’s defeat to India at home.”Those [tours] will really show where we are as a team and our character,” Warner said. “When you go to the subcontinent, you potentially could play two spinners. And then the selectors look at the batting line-ups with who they feel is probably going to be better on the subcontinent wickets and who’s not. There are going to be some brave decisions being made. But we’re looking forward to that.”Warner was pleased to see his opening partner Marcus Harris amongst the runs in Melbourne after a lean start to the series and the pair are determined to forge a strong partnership together.”Awesome to see Harry score some runs,” Warner said. “He is a tough tenacious fella. We gel well together when we’re out there. Obviously, a minor hiccup last game but that’s what happens in cricket can happen. His courage to keep fighting and working ways out to score runs when bowlers are bowling these good lines and lengths, he fought it out well. I’m really, really pleased for him.”When he’s looking to score and I’m looking to score, I think our defence takes care of itself and we’ll be in and amongst the runs in the next two Tests.”

Sushant Modani credits coach for positive culture around squad after impressing on T20I debut

Peter Della Penna23-Dec-2021At 16 for 4 in the powerplay, the prospect of a USA victory against visiting Ireland seemed highly unlikely. Which is why the stirring comeback produced by Gajanand Singh and Sushant Modani made victory so much sweeter. Singh, who was named Player of the Match for his 65 as part of a USA record 110-run fifth-wicket partnership with Modani, described the 26-run victory as “an awesome feeling.””To always contribute to your team and especially winning a game like this, a first against a Test nation and a Full Member of the ICC, it’s a proud moment for me and everyone in this group,” Singh told ESPNcricinfo after the victory.One of the salient features of several of the early wickets lost by USA was the panicked nature of the strokes, as Ireland medium-pacer Barry McCarthy seized on dot ball pressure to strike three times. But Singh said part of the reason for his success was having a clear head unclouded by glancing at the grim-looking scoreboard.”Going out there, I took the score away from any of my thoughts,” Singh said. “I played the ball, I didn’t play the scoreboard. I think by doing that and giving myself a chance, hitting the Vs up front, hitting some balls on the ground, putting away a bad ball or two early in your innings always gives you a set of confidence to go deep in your innings. I’m fortunate to have Sushant as my partner there. We worked together and played to our strengths and I think it worked out well.”After biding his time through the 11th over, Singh started to unleash on the Ireland bowling unit, slog-sweeping Simi Singh’s offspin for the first of five sixes. That one, as well as three of the next four, all cleared the east side boundary where the wind had been gusting strongly. Singh said the success of clearing the boundary was simply down to taking well-calculated risks in the situation.”The wind was a big factor when we batted so we tried to play percentages,” Singh said. “We knew going against the wind would be risky. I don’t think we took any chances against the wind. We backed ourselves when it’s in our area. If you feel you can get under it or a good piece of it, we backed ourselves and it just worked out for us today.”Related

• Lorcan Tucker sets up Ireland win as T20I series ends with honours even

• Singh, Modani propel USA to historic T20I win over Ireland

• Youth to the fore as historic USA-Ireland series soldiers on

• Balbirnie: 'We're a Test member but at the moment it feels like a name'

Modani also impressed on his T20I debut, scoring a half-century. But Modani said much of the credit for his own success was influenced by the approach taken by Singh at the opposite end.”For this partnership, a lot of credit goes to him,” Modani said. “He soaked in a lot of pressure because he was getting those big boundaries and sixes so I didn’t really have to think a lot or do very differently. All I had to do was keep rotating the strike.”Both men fell before the final over, yet there were still more fireworks to come for USA in the form of Marty Kain. Seizing on a poor line bowled by Mark Adair, Kain utilised the wind blowing east in the same manner as Singh to score two fours and two sixes over backward square leg in a massively consequential 23-run final over to boost USA to 188. Though victory would not have been possible without the partnership between Singh and Modani, Kain’s impact on the match was no less significant in the eyes of Singh, especially since it also came on T20I debut.”Marty played a blinder there,” Singh said. “To come in at the end and play the way he’s played in his first game for the US is exceptional. It shows the confidence of him as a player and shows that he knows his skill and backs himself. I just hope he continues and goes from strength to strength and can play more innings like that for the US.”The win was also highlighted by solid fielding contributions from two teenage debutants, Yasir Mohammad and Ritwik Behera. While Behera took two key catches fielding in the deep, Mohammad also took a catch at deep square leg in the second over, teaming up with Ali Khan to help dismiss Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, before later bowling a crucial death-overs spell, bouncing back from a shaky opening over.Sushant Modani drives over cover•Peter Della Penna

“I think our senior bowlers stood out today,” Singh said. “Nisarg [Patel], Ali and Saurabh [Netravalkar], all three of them put their hands up. They bowled to a plan and it worked out in the end. Sticking together, everyone knows our plans bowling to particular batsmen and these guys did their job and bowled their areas good. I must commend young Yasir also. Playing his first game after getting a few boundaries in his first over, he held his nerves pretty well to come back and bowl a pretty decent spell.”According to Modani, the calmness of the youngsters is a product of the new culture established by head coach J Arunkumar – known for always having a smile on his face. Modani said the coach’s relaxed nature helps put everyone at ease and gets them performing at their best on a consistent basis, whether it’s the veterans or those on debut like Kain, the teenage pair and Modani, who was not supposed to be in the T20I squad but was drafted as a late replacement after four players were ruled out due to a Covid outbreak.”I think a lot of credit goes to our coach and team management,” Modani said. “A lot of positivity gets instilled in the dressing room before the game, or even the talks we have. So that’s like a mental preparation for us. Even if I wasn’t in the T20 squad, I was still mentally prepared that I still have time before the ODIs that I’ll do something but in a positive frame of mind. It’s the team which fills you with that motivation.”That motivation continues to fuel USA for the rest of the tour. Singh, Modani and the rest of the squad are out to show that Wednesday’s win was no fluke. The T20I series concludes on Thursday before the three-match ODI series commences on December 26.

While one of the favourites to replace Justin Langer long term, he believes international coaching could be heading into a new era

Andrew McGlashan12-Feb-2022Andrew McDonald insists he has yet to consider the prospect of becoming Australia’s new permanent head coach following the resignation of Justin Langer and believes the game is heading into a fascinating period with how international teams shape their coaching structures.McDonald, who had already been due to take charge of the Sri Lanka T20 series and will now lead the tour to Pakistan next month in an interim capacity, is considered a frontrunner for the long-term position and his calmness was endorsed by limited-overs captain Aaron Finch.While Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley has previously said they will be looking to appoint a single replacement for Langer, who resigned last week having only been offered a six-month contract extension, McDonald sees the game could be heading into a new phase with the increasingly crammed nature of international cricket.Related

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• Andrew McDonald 'never seems to get flustered' – Aaron Finch

“It happened really really quickly with JL and the process there. No thoughts given to it at this stage,” he said. “I think the greater conversation around that at this stage is clearly Australia and England have jobs open but it’s what they’re looking for. Split roles have been mentioned [to manage] all three formats. There’s a lot to work through. I’ll wait to see how that process unfolds and see what happens there.”Firstly you’ve got to see what they’re looking for in the job and then whether it’s the right fit for you. It’s like any coaching role that you put your hat in the ring for. It’s not just as simple as saying ‘there’s a job there, would you like to do it, yes or no?’ I think it’s a great opportunity for a greater cricket conversation that two of the bigger cricket nations are embarking upon. I’m fascinated to see where that lands.”The FTP over the next 12-24 months is not getting any lighter, there’s a conversation to be had there. [Split coaching] has been tried before. We saw Andy Flower and Ashley Giles do a split role, whether that was the right time for it, the game’s changed a hell of a lot since then as well.”In the short term, McDonald does not see a need to reinvent the wheel in the Australia set up with the T20 World Cup and Ashes secured in recent months with Langer at the helm albeit having heeded warnings to take a less hands-on approach.Australia secured a 20-run victory against Sri Lanka on Friday with a particularly impressive performance in the field led by Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa who were both key figures in the World Cup success.”The last six months have been an incredible time,” McDonald said. “It’s been well documented the changing room was in a good space. The World Cup was a great experience, the Ashes was a great experience. I can’t see there being a hell of a lot of change on the back of that. I’ve got an opportunity to do my job for the next month or so to the end of the Pakistan tour then see what it looks like. There will be an element of continuing to run the team with similar fashion to what we have.”McDonald also praised the role Langer had on the team which he joined in late 2019.”The values he instilled in the team, the way he was able to manage things from South Africa forward was an incredible effort,” he said. “He had an incredibly high work rate, that attention to detail, care, empathy, all those types of things. Respect for what he’s done in terms of his playing and coaching career.”

Ollie Robinson ruled out again as Saqib Mahmood is named for Test debut

Andrew Miller15-Mar-2022

Big Picture

Reset, and refocus. After five days of hard toil on an unforgiving Antigua deck, the series swings south-east to Barbados, where the surface – to judge by a run of seven consecutive results since a tense draw against India in 2011 – ought to offer more for the bowlers on both teams to get stuck into. However, for England, those bowlers will not include either Ollie Robinson or Mark Wood, both of whom have been ruled out, with Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood inked in for his debut.If England’s recent experience at Bridgetown is anything to go by, bowler-friendly conditions might not be the most uplifting of prospects. It was on this ground three years ago that they were blown away for 77 in their first innings, a catastrophic derailment that set them on their way to yet another failed Caribbean campaign.And if they wanted a reminder of the Kensington Oval’s fortress qualities, a quick recap of January’s T20I series would suffice – West Indies emerged as 3-2 victors, with the home-town hero Jason Holder’s final sign-off being the small matter of four wickets in four balls.For the time being, however, the events in Antigua did at least inbue two very flaky batting line-ups with some rarely encountered optimism. After failing to reach 300 in any of their ten innings of the Ashes, England passed that mark in both innings of the first Test – and in so doing they recorded three centurions in a Test match for the first time since Rajkot on the tour of India in 2016-17.The best of these belonged to Jonny Bairstow – a man with the red-ball bit between his teeth right now, following a similarly superb century in his previous Test in Sydney in January. An eternity has passed since Bairstow’s annus mirablisin 2016, in which time he has gone on to become arguably England’s most important ODI batter, and so all manner of caveats are warranted when discussing his sporadic Test form in the intervening years.But having arrived at the crease at a familiarly bleak 48 for 4 on the first morning, Bairstow was hugely impressive in first rebuilding the innings in partnership with Ben Stokes, then kicking on after lunch and beyond to lay down England’s first big marker of this post-Ashes era. Zak Crawley in the second innings followed suit with a performance of similar self-denial, before Root put the bow on an encouraging display with his 24th Test century, and his first of 2022.West Indies, however, found resolve of their own to claim an equal share of the batting plaudits. Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell posted fifty stands in each innings, slim pickings by most teams’ standards but an important marker for this outfit, before Nkrumah Bonner’s tour de force dragged West Indies to a first-innings lead of 64 – a non-issue in the final analysis, but the sort of advantage that might have proved vital had the pitch ever threatened to deteriorate.Jason Holder looks on during a nets session•Getty Images

In the bowling stakes, it was a case of two forward, two back and one almighty set-back for England. Sadly for Chris Woakes and Craig Overton, their alliance lived down to most expectations, particularly while West Indies were romping along at four runs an over with the new ball. And when Mark Wood went lame with a deeply worrying elbow injury, one that has opened the way for Mahmood’s debut, that lack of 90mph threat was all the more exposed.And yet, out of adversity surged the inevitable Ben Stokes – a man who had been expected to ease his way back to fitness after the side strain that had so hampered his Ashes display. He ploughed through 28 overs in the first innings, his heaviest innings workload for seven years, and 41 overs all told for the outstanding figures of 3 for 66. He is not quite back to his 2019-20 peak, but these are his most encouraging signs since his career break last summer.And then there was the spinner Jack Leach, whose best effort in an England shirt yielded match figures of 5 for 136 in 73.4 overs, including three of the four breakthroughs on West Indies’ final-day wobble. In the end he could not surmount either the pitch or the resistance led by Bonner and Holder over the contest’s final session. But his poise and control was revealed by the concurrent struggles of his opposite Veerasammy Permaul, who was never permitted to settle in either innings.Ultimately, however, if it’s an England tour of the Caribbean, then the calibre of the hosts’ fast bowling is sure to be the final factor. In the most helpful conditions of the contest, Holder, Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales ripped open some very fresh wounds in their visitor’s batting, while Alzarri Joseph earned late reward in the second innings for some diligent old-ball work. Pound for pound, and with Wood’s injury factored in, that quartet had the edge over their England counterparts. In a series where both teams are prone to moments of chronic batting malfunction, the race to 20 wickets could be well and truly on this week.

Form guide

(Last five matches; most recent first)
West Indies DLLLW
England DLDLL

In the spotlight

Can Nkrumah Bonner back up the masterclass that he produced in Antigua? For more than 12 hours across two innings of the first Test, West Indies’ most fascinating late bloomer racked up 161 runs from 493 balls for once out – and even that flicker of weakness, at eight-down in the first innings, came via a leg-side strangle from the part-time allsorts of Dan Lawrence.His innings were unrepentantly one-paced, and perfectly tailored to meet West Indies’ needs, as he first ground his team into a dominant position, then bailed them out just when it seemed their old batting frailties were set to burst forth. Bonner’s Test average is now just a nudge below 50, and like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the man whose unflappability he most resembles, while he endures, his team has a solidity at odds with their recent reputation.Ollie Robinson missed the first Test after suffering a back spasm•Getty Images

Amid the furore about the dropping of England’s Big Two, and the subsequent injuries that have scuppered the other two lead members of the Ashes attack, Wood and Ollie Robinson, there is a treat in store for fast-bowling purists on Wednesday with the maiden Test appearance of the thoroughbred Saqib Mahmood.With a rip-roaring action that is as much Waqar Younis as it is Brett Lee, Mahmood looks the part and can touch the part too, with the ability to push the 90mph barrier that England so yearn with the blunting of so many of their previous spearheads – including, of course, Jofra Archer, who has been training with the team during his comeback from elbow surgery. However, Mahmood remains a work in progress, and one that England are obliged to handle with care – in terms of workload as much as expectation. His penultimate match in Barbados was a demoralising one, as Akeal Hosain spanked him for 28 runs in an over to lose a remarkable T20I by one run.

Team news

West Indies have named an unchanged 13-man squad, with reserve batter Kyle Mayers and Anderson Phillip, the uncapped Trinidad fast bowler, once again waiting in the wings. After their relative success in Antigua, the likelihood is an unchanged XI, although given that Permaul went wicketless in both innings, there could yet be the temptation to reinforce the batting with Mayers and rely on the four quicks. Brathwaite, however, has strongly indicated that the spinner remains in his plans.West Indies (probable) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 John Campbell, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Kyle Mayers, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua da Silva (wk), 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Veerasammy Permaul, 11 Jayden SealesRelated

• Leach the major positive as Eng find lessons in Antiguan adversity

• Robinson set to return in Barbados but Wood 'unlikely' to be risked

• Simmons hopes for rise in home support after 'playing at Trent Bridge'

• Strauss: ECB to launch high-performance review of English game

Robinson had been back to full pace in the nets and looked set to be handed a recall after missing the first Test with a back spasm, but the management has decided he is not ready, and instead there will be a maiden Test call-up for the Lancashire quick Saqib Mahmood, whose potential to touch 90mph provides England an important cutting edge, with Wood missing out due to “acute pain” in his right elbow. There are obvious questions to be asked about the suitability of Woakes and Overton in these conditions after a toothless display in Antigua, but both men retain their places in the starting XI.England 1 Alex Lees, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Dan Lawrence, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Craig Overton, 10 Saqib Mahmood, 11 Jack Leach

Stats and trivia

• England have won three of their previous 16 Tests in Bridgetown, most recently in 2004 – when their eight-wicket victory also put the seal on their only series win in the Caribbean since 1968.
• West Indies, however, have won back-to-back contests on this ground against England – in 2015, when a hard-fought five-wicket win squared the series 1-1, and famously in 2019, when Kemar Roach’s five wickets, Jason Holder’s double-hundred, and Roston Chase’s 8 for 60 put the seal on one of their greatest victories of all.
• Kemar Roach needs one wicket to move clear of Garry Sobers’ tally of 235 Test wickets, into outright seventh-place in West Indies’ list of leading bowlers.

Quote

“To be honest, it’s pretty normal. A lot of supporters come from England with the Barmy Army, so I honestly don’t mind it. They create a lot of energy, and playing in England is always a good feeling too.”

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has no concerns about England’s likely home-from-home atmosphere in Barbados, after head coach Phil Simmons complained the Antigua atmosphere had been ‘like playing at Trent Bridge’

Home Office backlog caused by displacement of Ukrainian citizens sees Pujara miss Notts fixture

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2022Cheteshwar Pujara will miss the opening game of his stint as Sussex’s overseas player in the County Championship due to a visa hold-up caused indirectly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Pujara, who was dropped by India for their recent Test series against Sri Lanka and has been demoted in the BCCI’s contract list, was due to play Sussex’s first six Championship games of the season before returning later in the summer for the Royal London Cup and “some additional four-day games”, according to the club’s statement.He had been expected to arrive in time to make his debut against Nottinghamshire on Thursday, but will not be available until Sussex’s fixture against Derbyshire the following week due to a delay in receiving his visa.Related

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“Securing overseas players has been tremendously difficult in the current climate,” Keith Greenfield, Sussex’s performance director, said. “We renegotiated the initial Pujara contract so he could return for more County Championship and Royal London 50-over matches, and this subsequently changed the visa requirements.”On top of this, the Ukraine crisis has meant that the Home Office has redirected their resources to help with the displacement of Ukrainian citizens. We were expecting Pujara to be with us last weekend but can now confirm he will be here at the back end of this week.”Ian Salisbury, the club’s Championship and 50-over head coach, said he was “extremely disappointed… not [to] have a player of Pujara’s experience and quality available for the opening day of the season”.Sussex will also be without Ollie Robinson for the first game of the season, with the fast bowler made unavailable by the ECB after missing all three of England’s Tests against West Indies in the Caribbean last month through injury.

Mosaddek Hossain is part of all three squads while a fit-again Saifuddin finds spots in the ODI and T20I sides

Mohammad Isam22-May-2022Anamul Haque has earned a recall into the Bangladesh white-ball squads following his record-breaking run in the recently-concluded Dhaka Premier League List A competition, while Mustafizur Rahman has been named in all three squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.Bangladesh will play two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is on their tour to the Caribbean that starts next month.Anamul broke Tom Moody’s 31-year-old record of scoring the most runs in a one-day competition when he amassed 1138 runs for Prime Bank Cricket Club. He last played an ODI for Bangladesh in July 2019, while it has been more than six years since he featured in a T20I. Apart from him, wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan and medium-pacer Mohammad Saifuddin were also brought back into both white-ball squads.Related

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Nurul forced his way back on the back of some big runs in the DPL Super League phase, where he helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to their first title. Saifuddin, meanwhile, returned after a string of injuries kept him out of contention since the 2021 T20 World Cup.Mosaddek Hossain was the biggest gainer after he was recalled into all three squads, in Mushfiqur Rahim’s absence. Mushfiqur had pulled out of the tour to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage.Mehidy Hasan Miraz was named in the Test squad after he missed the ongoing Sri Lanka series due to a hand injury.Mustafizur Rahman, too, returned to the Test squad after a year, following a reportedly long discussion with the BCB. While being named in the ODI and T20I squads was a given, Mustafizur had initially shown lesser interest in a Test return because of his IPL workload. But he later agreed to be named in the side as well. It is worth noting that Mustafizur does not have a red-ball central contract with the BCB.Bangladesh are scheduled to leave for the Caribbean on June 5. While the Tests are part of the ICC World Test Championship, the ODIs will not be part of the ICC Super League competition.Test squad: Mominul Haque (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Khaled Ahmed, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mosaddek Hossain, Ebadot Hossain, Shohidul Islam, Rezaur Rahman RajaODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Litton Das (wk), Najmul Hossain, Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan, Yasir Ali, Mahmudullah, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Anamul HaqueT20I squad: Mahmudullah (capt), Munim Shahriar, Litton Das (wk), Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan (wk), Yasir Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin

Bangladesh won just three matches under Mominul’s leadership since he took over in October 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2022Mominul Haque has resigned as Bangladesh’s Test captain, following the team’s series defeat at home against Sri Lanka.ESPNcricinfo understands that Mominul, who has led the side in the longest format since October 2019, was being weighed down by the pressures of captaincy, and as a result was struggling with the bat as well; he has averaged just 16.20 in 2022, with 162 runs from six matches. Overall, Bangladesh won just three Tests under Mominul’s leadership, losing 12 and drawing two.Related

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“When you play well, even if the team doesn’t win, you are still in a position to motivate them. I felt that captaining a side is tough when I am not scoring and team is not winning. I think it is best to quit the captaincy.”I feel I should focus on my batting. It wasn’t a hard decision. A captain has to contribute otherwise it brings a lot of pressure. The board president told me to stay on but I don’t want to be the captain. “Though Bangladesh began 2022 with a historic victory against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, they lost four of their next five Tests, falling to series defeats against both South Africa and Sri Lanka. It is understood that following the loss in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Mirpur last week, Mominul met with the BCB president Nazmul Hassan, indicating his wish to step down from the captaincy in order to focus on his batting.Shakib Al Hasan is among the names being considered to replace Mominul, but a full-time captain is yet to be named.”I am not concerned about Mominul’s captaincy. I didn’t hear anything from the coaches too. He is not getting runs, which is always a worry for a batsman. Mominul is going through a mental crisis. I told him immediately after the Dhaka Test that we believe in him,” Nazmul told .”I also heard Shakib’s name is in discussion for Test captaincy. Shakib used to be captain in all three formats but now I have to know what is he available for? He cannot make last minute decisions about his availability when he is the captain.”We have to discuss with him first. There are also other names being discussed. We have to take a well thought out decision. We cannot make someone a captain on a whim.”Shakib has had numerous stints as Bangladesh’s Test captain in the past, first leading the side in a game against West Indies in 2009. He captained the team for six more matches in the first half of 2010, and more Test in August 2011 against Zimbabwe, before falling out of favour with the then BCB chief Mustafa Kamal. Shakib then took over the Test captaincy once again in December 2017, replacing Mushfiqur Rahim. Shakib held the role for nearly two years, till he was handed a one-year ban from all cricket in 2019 for failing to report a bookie’s approach.Incidentally, Shakib’s future in Test cricket has been a topic of discussion in recent months, with the allrounder going back-and-forth on his commitment to red-ball cricket. In February, Shakib had reportedly asked the BCB for some time off from Test cricket, but was nonetheless selected in the squad for the tour of South Africa. Shakib, though, suggested that he was “jaded”, and requested a break from international cricket, which the BCB eventually granted him.However, that wouldn’t be the end, as Nazmul publicly questioned Shakib’s commitment to his country, and following another round of meetings between the allrounder and the BCB boss, Shakib was included in the tour of South Africa.

Ponting says Langer ‘wants to coach again’; suggests Tim Paine could also be involved in a coaching role

Alex Malcolm09-Jun-2022Ricky Ponting believes former Australia coach Justin Langer wants to coach again and is one of the top names on a long list of candidates he would like to hire as Hobart Hurricanes coach after taking on a formal role as head of strategy for the BBL franchise.Hurricanes announced on Thursday that Ponting had signed a three-year deal with his former club to take on a newly created head of strategy role. Ponting will fulfil the role alongside his commentary commitments with Channel Seven and his IPL coaching commitments with Delhi Capitals. But the role has been designed for him to take charge of the recruitment of a new senior coach, assistant coaches, list management, team strategy, and culture as Hurricanes continue to chase their maiden title after 11 years of trying.Langer has been linked to the Hurricanes job in recent months, even prior to Ponting’s appointment. Hurricanes are still searching for a new coach after Adam Griffith stepped down at the end of last season. Langer has spoken publicly in recent weeks about the toll of the exit from the Australia coaching job and has been adamant he is still undecided on his next career move.Speaking at a press conference in Hobart on Thursday, Ponting confirmed he speaks to Langer regularly about the role, amongst informal discussions as longtime friends and confidants, but no formal decisions had been made either way.Related

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“He definitely wants to coach again,” Ponting said. “I think he’s got a bit more thinking to do as far as a commitment like this is concerned through the summer, but every chat I’ve had with him so far, he wants to coach again.”He’s probably the one that I’ve spoken to the most about it so far. We’ve been having a bit of dialogue through the last probably six or seven months to be honest.”Nothing’s finalised with Justin yet. But I’ll stay on him because I’ve got a pretty good understanding and feeling of what we need down here at the Hurricanes as far as that head coaching position is concerned.”Just listening to some of the feedback from players and other people around the setup the last couple of years, it sounds like things could have been a little bit better. Not so much the on-field playing stuff. But some of the other stuff that might happen around a dressing room and around a team. And I know JL would do a great job if he was the one.”But look, I’ve got a list. I’ve got pages and pages of names of guys that I think would do a great job. I haven’t necessarily put them in order yet. And I’ll pick them off along the way over the next few weeks.”The prospect of working alongside Ponting would be enticing for Langer. He is also close with newly appointed Tasmania head coach Jeff Vaughan and former Australian captain Tim Paine, who still holds close ties to the Hurricanes. Ponting suggested Paine could also be involved in a coaching capacity if he was keen to be.Tim Paine chats with Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer•Getty Images

“I’ll talk to a few of the other people around about what I’d like to be able to achieve with the Hurricanes, [and that] is to bring as many great Tasmanian people back around the franchise as possible, and I think Tim Paine fits perfectly into that mould,” Ponting said. “So whenever and if he’s ever ready to walk back and put another purple shirt on, I’m sure lots of Tasmanians, would like to see him involved.”Paine was not offered a contract with Tasmania for the upcoming season having not played since taking indefinite leave from cricket just weeks after he resigned from the Australian Test captaincy. Paine has not made any public statements regarding his own playing or coaching future.Appointing the coach is Ponting’s top priority in his new role. The new coach will need to be involved in list management decisions that could arise later this month with the BBL finalising details of an overseas draft for the coming season in the coming weeks.Ponting believes Hurricanes have a core nucleus of a great side with Matthew Wade, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Tim David, Nathan Ellis and Riley Meredith all locked in for next season, and said that recruiting overseas players for the right roles was more important than getting big names.Ponting all but ruled out Chris Lynn as a possible recruit to the Hurricanes after Brisbane Heat opted not to renew his contract for the upcoming BBL.”I’m sure his name will come up,” Ponting said. “But if I look at Wade, McDermott, Short, David, I’m not sure that I’m picking Chris Lynn ahead of any of those guys and what we’ve got here.”They’re all established Hurricanes players that have been here for awhile. Tim David has just had the one season here. But I’d like to stick with what we’ve got, and get the best out of the guys we’ve got there rather than adding too much from players that have been left out of other BBL franchises.”I’m not going to make those decisions here and now and by myself. They’re decisions that we’re going to make once the coaching group is together and we can all sit down as a group and actually start making decisions with what we want as far as the list is concerned.”Ponting also reiterated that he was fully committed to the role despite his Channel Seven commentary commitments, and living full-time in Melbourne, but he had yet to work out whether he would commentate on Hurricanes games or not for Channel Seven.