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But for Covid, England Women would be two weeks into the defence of their 50-over World Cup, with two out of seven group games to go and the semi-finals looming. Instead, the tournament has been postponed by 12 months, and they have not played an ODI in 436 days.That streak will finally come to an end this week, with their three-match series against New Zealand starting on Tuesday in Christchurch. After the vast majority of their home summer schedule was cancelled, England are starting from scratch: remarkably, this will be their first ODI under Lisa Keightley’s stewardship, nearly 16 months after her appointment as head coach.The wait has been particularly frustrating for those players who had hoped to nail down their places after their most recent series, against Pakistan in Malaysia in December 2019 with Ali Maiden taking temporary charge of the squad.Nobody embodies the frustration better than Danni Wyatt. Wyatt turns 30 in April, and the fact that her batting average is a shade below 20 in both ODI and T20I cricket prompts a double-take. Anyone who has seen either of Wyatt’s two T20I hundreds will know how talented a batter she is, but she has struggled to realise her potential in international cricket, perhaps hampered by regular shifts up and down the order.She is a player who relies on form and rhythm, which jars with the sporadic nature of the women’s international calendar. In that series in Malaysia she appeared to have finally cracked ODI cricket, making her first hundred in the format with an innings of 110 off 95 balls to set up a convincing win; since then, she has faced six balls in an ODI shirt.”It’s fair to say – and Danni will say this herself – that she hasn’t quite nailed ODI cricket yet,” Heather Knight, England’s captain, said on the eve of the New Zealand series. “She’s batted in a few different positions and it was obviously a real shame for her that she had that great hundred in Malaysia and then wasn’t able to back that up with the big break.”I really think it’s going to be a huge series for her – and a huge year – in terms of really nailing down her ODI cricket and what she could do for us at the top of the order. She naturally scores very quickly, and there are going to be times, probably, when she gets out early because we want her to be aggressive, play her natural game, and take the game on. But I’m really excited about what Danni could do.”Related

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• Big runs on order for England as focus moves to WC defence

• Dodd, Halliday muscle New Zealand XI to surprise victory

• England batters warm up with 299 in first tour game win

• NZ pick Halliday, Jonas for Eng ODIs; Bates ruled out

The early signs are positive. Wyatt endured a tough 2020, managing a top score of 29 in 12 innings across the tri-series in Australia, the T20 World Cup and the home series against West Indies, but started the New Zealand tour with two enterprising innings: 35 off 42 balls in the first warm-up game, and 54 off 42 in the second.As a result, Knight is optimistic about the prospect of her flourishing in this series in a likely opening partnership with Tammy Beaumont, hinting that she will be given licence to attack early on and make use of the initial fielding restrictions.”She’s had a little bit of a lean year, to be honest,” Knight said, “but the signs are really good. She’s worked really hard over the last couple of months to be in a really good place with her game. The way she played in that second warm-up game was exactly how we want her to play. I’m excited to watch her bat, because you always think that something is going to happen.”[Her role] is slightly different to T20 cricket where it’s pretty much to go from ball one. She can take a little bit more time in ODI cricket, but her natural mindset is to be aggressive and score. She certainly puts pressure on bowlers and pressure on captains, so that’s her role: to go out and be herself, and back her shots.”England are “really ready to play ODI cricket”, Heather Knight said•Getty Images

England’s touring party have a clean bill of health ahead of the series, meaning that Anya Shrubsole (knee) and Katie George (back) are the only absentees. Knight was unwilling to give much away in terms of selection, but it appears that the one remaining call revolves around whether Freya Davies or Tash Farrant is picked as the third seamer alongside Kate Cross and Katherine Brunt.”We’ve got some really strong depth in the seam-bowling department,” Knight said. “We’ll have to see what we go with later today and to see what the conditions are like as well. We haven’t played ODI cricket for a long time and New Zealand are a very strong side [so] it’s going to be a really good test for us.”Our preparation has been a little bit disjointed but I feel like as a team we’re really ready to play ODI cricket. Obviously, we’ve got a year before the World Cup in 2022, so that year is going to be key in terms of our preparation and showing us where we need to be and how we want to play our ODI cricket. I’m really excited to start that journey: it feels like a long time coming.”

Alfalah University Men. Marwari College Women. Remember these two names, because you might just find yourself hunting for more on them at some point in the future to look up the backstory of the next men’s or women’s cricket star.These were the two colleges who won the final of the Red Bull Campus Cricket India tournament, on June 11, in Mohali. While Marwari College Women beat Rizvi College Women by 36 runs in the morning, Alfalah University Men saw off New LJ College Men by 35 runs under lights.The women’s triumph was an incredible story in itself, a team from Ranchi winning the final, having overcome the “big” teams from established centres like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. In the final, Marwari College Women made 125 for 5 in their 20 overs, thanks mainly to Player of the Final Anamika Kumari (60 off 54), with her opening partner Priyanka Sawaiyan (37 off 44) playing a fine support role with 37 off 44 and then going on to claim 3 for 9 with her offspin. Rizvi College Women’s chase hardly took off and they eventually ended up on 89 for 6. Marwari College’s hunger for victory and what this stage meant to them was illustrated by captain Shanti Kumari, who hared across the turf and put in a dive to save a boundary, even when the result was a mere formality with the chasing team too far behind.

In fact, the women from Ranchi were terrific in the field throughout, and smart with their tactics too. They set a six-three field and bowled wide outside off, choking the runs expertly.The experience gained here would only help women’s cricket, current India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and former India player Snehal Pradhan felt.”It was an amazing experience for the girls,” Mandhana said. “It’s something that will help them in their careers and make them feel ‘I want to do this. I want to go out there and do it for India as well’. These girls are going to go back and tell others about their experiences here, and the other girls will be like ‘Oh, I also want to experience this.'”Brands like Red Bull help a lot because they want to grow with the athlete. They want to provide the infrastructure, or whatever we ask for, for us to go out there and perform… Everyone has ideas, to start this and that, but they’ve actually started a women’s team. They thought about it and started.”Red Bull Campus Cricket 2022: Smriti Mandhana with the triumphant Marwari College Women•Red Bull Campus Cricket

Pradhan, who has established herself as a commentator after retiring from the game in 2013, said Red Bull’s arrangements for the finals were impeccable, offering players facilities that are usually available only at higher levels.”You think that to play at stadiums like [the PCA Stadium in] Mohali, you have to play for India or maybe you’ll have to play for your state – to play at this kind of venue and get this kind of an experience, where people are taking care of you so well…” Pradhan said. “The hotels, teams have been flown out… Only players who play for their country or state get this kind of experience.”More matches, better exposure in matches, they become better cricketers. And they are getting an experience of what cricket has to offer if they can maximise their talent in the future. Anu [Anamika Kumari] was telling me how she’s only getting a couple of games a season for her state. She’s getting this platform now where she can put up a score. Great to see that even below state cricket we have a structure for girls where they can express themselves.”There’s plenty of talent, not just in the big centres, but also in smaller towns like Ranchi.”The men had plenty of notable performances too.Dheeru Singh led the charge for Alfalah University Men, smashing 67 off 43 balls from No. 4 to drive his side to a commanding 162 for 8. Dheeru put on 44 runs for the fourth wicket with Aniket Singh during a tricky period, after early wickets had left the side 47 for 3 inside six overs. The stand came at only a run a ball, but the two batters negotiated the phase where the floodlights were switched on, and steered their team to calmer waters. Dheeru hit five sixes and as many fours during his innings. His range-hitting in particular, was impressive, with the boundaries being cleared with ease.Red Bull Campus Cricket 2022: The victorious Alfalah University Men’s team•Red Bull Campus Cricket

Alfalaha University Men then restricted New LJ College Men to 127 for 9, a good bowling performance backed up by excellent fielding. Faizan Alam took 3 for 26 in his four overs, while Boby Yadav, adjudged the Player of the Series, took 3 for 25.Rajasthan Royals allrounder Riyan Parag was all praise for the stage the tournament and these finals in particular provided the young players with.”As a kid I always dreamed of playing under lights,” Parag said. “So I think having a stage like this to showcase your abilities is going to be very big for them. I hope they have lots of fun and learn a lot from this… A platform like this, with sponsors, under lights, with a white ball – it’s a dream for any young cricketer.”For many cricketers who took part in the Red Bull Campus Cricket tournament, the dream has only begun. They now have a wealth of priceless experience to draw on as they work towards realising those dreams on an even bigger stage.

Those who have questioned whether England encouraging players to participate in the IPL could ever do anything but harm to the fortunes of the Test team may have to think again. That was the message delivered by Jonny Bairstow in the wake of his stunning assault at Trent Bridge, an incendiary 92-ball 136 that turned what could have been an anxious fifth-day chase against New Zealand into a cake walk.Bairstow only arrived back in the UK a few days before the start of the series, having spent eight weeks cracking the white ball to all parts with Punjab Kings. He had not played a first-class innings since late March, on England’s tour of the Caribbean, but brought all of his skills as a limited-overs juggernaut to bear in the decisive final session in Nottingham, repeatedly and deliberately targeting the stands as a potentially tricky requirement of 160 in 38 overs was wiped off with a full 22 overs to spare.The innings, as well as England’s full-blooded approach during a Test that saw almost 1700 runs scored at breakneck pace, is likely to serve as a manifesto for how England want to play the game under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, with multi-format players given licence to play to their strengths.Bairstow was in no doubt that his innings, the second-fastest hundred by an Englishman in Tests, had been squarely founded on the ability to deal with high-pressure situations that are commonplace when competing in the IPL, the most high-profile T20 league in the world.”There was a lot of people that were saying I should not be at the IPL and I should be playing county cricket,” Bairstow said. “That’s part and parcel of the game. Decisions are decisions and if I could say what I wanted to then… But there’s also elements to it where you are playing against the best in the world at the IPL. So being able to have those gears, to be able to go and switch them up, switch them down is important.”Yes, people say it would be fantastic if you had four games of red-ball cricket under your belt. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in the current scheduling of everything around the world. And we’re very fortunate to be able to play in some of the best competitions against the best players in the world. So when it comes to pressure situations, the more and more you’re able to put yourself under those pressure situations, the better.”Because it’s those situations that you’ve gone through in the past – whether that be in the IPL, whether that be in one-day cricket, whether that be in red-ball cricket previously that you’re able to call upon evenings like that. And they’re the bits that those opportunities and environments, whether they be for good or bad, [mean] you’re able to produce performances like we as a group have done this game, last game and hopefully going forward.”But also I’m incredibly proud of the way in which I went about that innings, because it wasn’t just going from ball one, I was 12 off 28 balls [12 off 24] or whatever it was. It wasn’t just a case of let’s go gung-ho. It was right, pick your times, pick your moments and then try and change the game.”Going out and trying to “change the game” has been the simple instruction from McCullum; at Lord’s, where Bairstow also came out firing with England chasing 277, the message from England’s new Test coach afterwards was, “if you’d batted like that for another 20 minutes, then you break the back of it”. And although the challenge of hauling in a target of 299 in 72 overs was ostensibly daunting on a fifth-day pitch, Bairstow said England were unfazed.”It wasn’t too agonising – we needed four an over and that has been the rate throughout the game so if you actually break it down and go well we need four an over, then it’s very manageable and very chaseable,” he said. “We managed to chase it with 22 [overs] left which is a different commodity but it was great fun.”The sense of enjoyment under England’s new regime has been pervasive, but Bairstow was keen to offer mitigation for the former captain, Joe Root, and coach, Chris Silverwood, saying that a factor in the sudden recent improvement – this was only their third win in 19 Tests – was a return to something like normal life following the pandemic.”I’m excited for the next journey with Ben and Brendon, but also I’ve said numerous times we’ve also got to take into account how tough a job Joe and Chris had to deal with throughout Covid. Not having potentially the best team that they wanted to pick due to bubbles, due to different squads, due to white-ball/red-ball scheduling, everything Covid. So we’ve also got to be mindful of that. I’m extremely excited about what vision Ben and Brendon have, the way in which we’re able to go about our cricket, the enjoyment that everyone’s having on the field. But that also comes with going back to a slightly more normal way of living and way of life.”This latest innings, Bairstow’s ninth Test hundred and his first at home since 2016, extended a career renaissance in the format, following centuries over the winter in Sydney and Antigua. Both of those innings came with the side in trouble – England were 36 for 4 at the SCG but managed to draw the game, and 48 for 4 in the opening Test in the Caribbean – and his match-sealing contribution at Trent Bridge was clearly a source of great personal satisfaction.”The amount of pride that it gives me to play Test cricket for England, first and foremost, is huge,” he said. “And then to make the contributions that have done, especially when you can say backs are against the wall, or it’s tricky periods of play, or however you guys want to write it up. I’m hugely proud of the fact that sometimes when the chips are down, you have to stand up. That might be something that you’re born with, it might be something that you have deep down that springs out of you at those moments. But yeah, me as a cricketer, that’s something I’m very proud of.”

Western Australia have been able to stack their one-day side with Australia players for their final Marsh Cup group match against Tasmania at the WACA with both sides chasing a bonus-point victory to qualify for the final against New South Wales.D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner and Jason Behrendorff have been included along with Josh Philippe, Mitchell Marsh and Ashton Agar who were part of the recent Sheffield Shield squad. All six were in the Australia squad that toured New Zealand and had to undergo two weeks quarantine when they returned.If Behrendorff, the left-arm quick, makes the starting XI it will be his first appearance for Western Australia since October 2018.However, the home side will be without Shaun Marsh who is unavailable for personal reasons. Fast bowlers Matt Kelly and Joel Paris both picked up injuries in the Shield match against Tasmania.Tasmania have also been boosted by the availability of Ben McDermott who has recovered from a hamstring injury but are without three first-choice quicks: Riley Meredith (IPL), Nathan Ellis (injury) and Peter Siddle (border restrictions).A bonus-point victory for either side would see them leapfrog Queensland into second place and leave them ruing the fact they missed a double bonus point by one run against South Australia late last month which was followed by a heavy defeat against New South Wales.The final will take place at Bankstown Oval in Sydney on April 11.Western Australia squad Mitch Marsh (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Cameron Green, Liam Guthrie, Josh Inglis, David Moody, Lance Morris, Josh Philippe, D’Arcy Short, Ashton Turner, Sam WhitemanTasmania squad Matthew Wade (capt), Tom Andrews, Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Mitch Owen, Tim Paine, Alex Pyecroft, Sam Rainbird, Tom Rogers, Jordan Silk, Beau Webster

510 for 8 dec (Abid Ali 215, Azhar Ali 126) by 158 runsPakistan are on the cusp of a 2-0 series win after regular strikes in the final session left the visitors just one wicket away from wrapping up an innings victory. On a day that began with a magnificent spell of fast bowling by Hasan Ali, culminating in yet another five-wicket haul, Zimbabwe folded meekly in the first innings, and were forced to follow on. The second time around, there were flashes of resistance disappointingly absent nearly all series, with an 80 from Regis Chakabva and Brendan Taylor’s flamboyant 30-ball 49 guaranteeing the hosts surpassed 200 for the first time this series. Nauman Ali, though, was the chief architect of Zimbabwe’s downfall in the second, taking five wickets of his own, before Zimbabwe’s tenth wicket pair dug in to ensure the game would go to a fourth day.In the morning session, Hasan stormed through the middle and lower order. That helped skittle the home side out for 132, handing Pakistan a 378-run lead and the opportunity to enforce the follow-on.The fast bowler has been in spectacular form since his return to Test cricket this year, with 19 Test wickets in his last four innings. He would make that 24 in five after a stirring performance in the morning, demonstrating complete command over line, length and swing as the Zimbabwean batters crumbled in front of him. Tendai Chisoro was undone by one that moved away from the bat on a length, with Imran Butt taking a sharp low catch in the slips.The catching behind the wickets was another running theme, and it brought Hasan his next breakthrough. This time, it was a short delivery that grew big on Chakabva, requiring Abid Ali to leap to grab hold at first slip. Luke Jongwe would be undone shortly after with a sublime inswinger, the batter shouldering arms as it came back in to hit the stumps.Roy Kaia, who had been dealt a painful blow on the knee that forced him off on the first day, came back on to bat with a noticeable limp, and while he accounted well for himself, he even had the chance to extract a bit of revenge. He pinged a short delivery to Abid Ali at short leg, with the ball smashing into his elbow. Abid was the man who had forced Kaia off in similar circumstances on the first day, and while he lumbered off clutching his funny bone, the Pakistani was unlikely to be seeing the lighter side.Zimbabwe showed more application in their final innings of the series than any other, stalling Pakistan’s charge towards a 2-0 series victory, the top order putting up dogged resistance. Chakabva, arguably the hosts’ most solid batsman across these Tests, was the spearhead, first in defence, then in attack, as he successfully saw off the new ball before moving up a gear, taking on the Pakistan bowlers as he brought up a brisk, convincing half-century.The contrast between the first hour and second was stark, with Zimbabwe bogged down in sheer survival mode early on. At one point, they managed just 15 runs in 13 overs as Kasuza hunkered down, much like he had in the first innings where he managed just four in 43 deliveries. But once Chakabva decided to take on Sajid Khan in the 18th over, the shackles seemed to come off all of a sudden. Sajid was thumped for 17, and Kasuza joined the fun shortly after, a straight drive over Nauman’s head for six arguably the shot of the Test. Nauman had an exquisite comeback, though, dragging his line back to one Kasuza looked to go after in the same vein. He failed to get to the pitch, and the ball took out his middle stump to nip a budding second-wicket partnership.When Taylor came out next, he took the attack to the bowlers from the outset. His knock involved him hitting repeatedly through the air, often close to where fielders stood, relying on pinpoint precision to keep him safe. Nauman was lofted for a pair of neatly timed airborne drives, while a flick of the wrists off Tabish Khan brought him his first six. Before long, there was something of a swagger to Taylor’s game, and he had raced along to 49 off 30, looking all set to bring up the fastest Test half-century by a Zimbabwean.Misfortune struck, though, with the umpire adjudging a tickle down leg side had come off the bat. Taylor’s hands initially indicated it had clipped the hipbone, but when the umpire raised his finger, the hand went to his head in despair. Zimbabwe’s most enterprising partnership had been broken after 79 runs, and the resistance to follow was feeble.Chakabva continued to motor along, refusing to let the runscoring come to a halt, or allow any bowler to settle. Few would have begrudged him a hundred, but his approach carried inevitable risk, and when a swipe off Nauman caught the outside edge, Babar Azam held on to a sharp catch.The lower order has middle order has proved Zimbabwe’s been weakness time and again, and once more, there was little resistance. Nauman continued to chip away as the victory drew nearer, completing his own five-fer. Pakistan opted for the extra half hour to try and force a result tonight, but Blessing Muzarabani stuck in alongside Jongwe before the umpires brought out the light metre and called a halt to proceedings. Zimbabwe still trail by 158 runs, and when the players come back out tomorrow, the proceedings are likely to be mere formalities.

Faf du Plessis, who suffered a concussion during the Quetta Gladiators’ match against the Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday and had to be substituted, has been ruled out of the remainder of PSL 2021. He will be flying back to South Africa on Wednesday night.du Plessis had a high-speed collision with team-mate Mohammad Hasnain in the field as they attempted to stop a drive from David Miller. After rushing in from long-off, Hasnain made a late attempt to avoid running into du Plessis, who dived to his right after sprinting in from long-off. Hasnain couldn’t quite pull away, and du Plessis’ head crashed into his knee.The South African lay prone on the ground for a few minutes while the Gladiators physio attended to him, but he eventually got on his feet to walk back into his team’s dugout. The Gladiators’ management said soon after that he was being taken to hospital. He didn’t come out to bat, and Saim Ayub played in his place.Later that day, he tweeted that he was having a “concussion with some memory loss”.