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Paul Franks takes over as head coach after outbreak in squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2021Andy Flower, the Trent Rockets head coach, will be absent from Monday’s men’s Hundred fixture against Northern Superchargers, alongside two other members of the team’s support staff, after the trio tested positive for Covid-19.Steven Mullaney and another support staff member have also been withdrawn from the evening fixture, after being identified as close contacts, with Paul Franks stepping in as Trent Rockets’ head coach.The development looks set to force Flower and his colleagues to self-isolate for the next ten days, a period that that encompasses two more Rockets fixtures, both of them away – against London Spirit at Lord’s on July 29, and against Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston on August 1.The former England head coach, who has been a fixture on the T20 franchise circuit in recent seasons, took over as Rockets’ head coach in February, when their original choice, Stephen Fleming, withdrew due to the ongoing Covid-related travel restrictions.Mullaney, Nottinghamshire’s club captain, played in Rockets’ opening fixture of the Hundred, a nine-wicket win against Southern Brave on Saturday, meaning that the team will be required to make at least one change to that victorious line-up.Trent Rockets is also the Hundred team of the England Test captain, Joe Root – and with nine days to go until the first Test against India, also at Trent Bridge, the news will be of particular concern to the ECB, which was forced to pick a brand-new ODI squad for their series against Pakistan earlier this month following a dressing-room outbreak during the preceding Sri Lanka series.Covid has also wreaked havoc on the county circuit this month, with Derbyshire forced to abandon their Championship match against Essex before pulling out of the Vitality Blast, and Kent fielding a team comprised of second XI and club players for their recent fixure against Sussex.

South Africa Test captain tunes up ahead of the series against India in mid-December

Firdose Moonda22-Nov-2021South Africa’s Test captain Dean Elgar signalled his return to full fitness from an abductor injury with a hundred in his third red-ball innings this summer as the Titans registered their first win of the season. Elgar, who sustained the niggle during the T20 domestic competition, was one of four centurions for the Titans, who beat Western Province by an innings and 139 runs.”The most important thing was that he got an opportunity to spend time at the crease and he took it. He has had a difficult few weeks so his goal was to make sure he is batting for a long period of time, knowing that if he does that, the runs will come,” Mandla Mashimbyi, Titans coach told ESPNcricinfo.Elgar and his opening partner Grant Mokoena, who top-scored with 154, shared in an opening stand of 231 before Jiveshan Pillay and Ayabulela Gqamane contributed 113* and 117* respectively to take the Titans to 647 for 7 declared. Despite the towering total, Mashimbyi indicated batting at Newlands was not as straightforward as the scorecard made it seem. “It was not a typical Cape Town wicket. It was a bit slowish so the batter really had to knuckle down,” he said. “We found that once guys got in, things became a little easier.”Western Province batters barely managed that. There were only two scores over 40 in their first innings as Simon Harmer’s 7 for 76 forced the follow-on, 452 runs behind. Harmer finished the match with 10 wickets, with Western Province bowled out for 313 in their second dig, where Daniel Smith and Kyle Verreynne made half-centuries.The win puts the Titans in fourth place on the table and, with one round of fixtures to go before a break, Mashimbyi is hoping for a second victory in the Cape, over Boland this week, to consolidate their position in the top-half. For Elgar, the fixture will be doubly important as he seeks to maximise his competitive batting time ahead of South Africa’s three-Test series against India, that begins in mid-December.”Dean just wants to work on a couple of specifics: things like getting into good positions and watching the ball and it’s just about emphasising those points,” Mashimbyi said. “He knows his game well and he has been playing a long time, so with some more time in the middle, he will be ready for the Tests.”

In other results:

Division One

• The Lions maintained their place at the top of the points table with an innings-and-30-run victory over Boland at the Wanderers. After bowling Boland out for 170, new ODI call-up Ryan Rickelton scored 117 as the Lions took a 180-run lead after their first innings. Boland were skittled out for 150 in their second innings with Duanne Olivier taking 5 for 57. Olivier finished with eight wickets in the match and is the competition’s leading bowler with 20 wickets at an average of 12.30.
• The Warriors have climbed to third on the log after their 130-run win over North West in Potchefstroom. Edward Moore, Lesiba Ngoepe and Diego Rosier scored half-centuries to take the Warriors to a first innings 334. North West took the lead, scoring 350, thanks largely to Wesley Marshall’s 94 before a big second innings from the Warriors swung the advantage their way. Matthew Breetzke’s 152 and Rudi Second’s 103* allowed them to declare on 342 for 2 and set North West 349 to win. They were bowled out for 218.
• Despite the win, the Warriors could not leapfrog the Knights, who are in second place after a draw against the Dolphins in a weather-affected match in Durban. The Knights bowled their hosts out for 226 and then declared their first innings closed on 397 for 4, with Matthew Kleinveldt contributing 177 but their 171-run lead could not force a result. The Dolphins second innings had reached 174 for 5 by the end of the fourth day.

Division Two

• Sean Whitehead became the fourth South African to take all 10 wickets in an innings as South Western Districts earned a 120 run win over Easterns. Whitehead’s performance came in the fourth innings of the match, with Easterns set a target of 186 runs to win. They were dismissed for 65. Whitehead took 15 in the match all told and is now joint-third on the overall bowling charts. Leus du Plooy’s 91 and 85* made him the match’s highest run-scorer.
• Kwa-Zulu-Natal Inland lead the Division Two points table after a seven-wicket win over Border. Thomas Kaber’s 103* helped Border post 384 in their first innings which KZN Inland matched exactly. Tshepang Dithole scored 162 while Kaber took 5 for 109. Luke Schlemmer’s 6 for 31 saw Border dismissed for 106 in their second innings and KZN Inland reached the target after losing just three wickets.
• In Polokwane, Limpopo and Northern Cape played out a draw despite a result appearing agonisingly close. Northern Cape were set 126 to win the match and finished on 121 for 7 with captain Aubrey Swanepoel unbeaten on 44 at the end. Earlier, Swanepoel took 7 for 56 as Northern Cape bowled Limpopo out for 290 and replied with 350, after Rivaldo Moonsamy’s 101. Limpopo were dismissed for 185 in their second innings, which gave Northern Cape an opportunity to go for victory but they were unable to close out the game.

Ireland captain opens up on dealing with the uncertainty of playing or not, and isolation in hotel rooms

Vishal Dikshit07-Jan-2022The Ireland squad that has moved from Florida to Jamaica is not only dealing with the challenges of a depleted squad – they have left Paul Stirling and Shane Getkate behind – but also with the mental challenges of dealing with Covid-19, which cancelled their recent ODI series against USA after a spree of positive cases.Captain Andy Balbirnie said the team’s morale is now “pretty good” compared to how it was in Florida, but opened up on the stressful time the squad went through as positive cases spread in the camp.The touring Ireland side now prepares for three ODIs and a lone T20I in Jamaica, starting on Saturday. A string of Ireland players had tested positive before the T20Is against USA last month and once the ODIs were called off, Stirling and Getkate tested positive as well. They are expected to join the squad in Jamaica on Sunday.Related

• Shamarh Brooks sparkles on ODI debut as West Indies go 1-0 up

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

• USA-Ireland ODI series cancelled due to Covid-19 outbreak

• Paul Stirling, Shane Getkate test positive for Covid-19

“The morale is pretty good, it’s better than Florida,” Balbirnie told reporters during a virtual press conference a day before the first ODI. “It was very difficult, some of us had to leave our family members in Florida and come here for this series. I was one of them.”But as soon as we got into training and international series mode, your focus comes back. You can’t dwell too much on what’s happened. If you do that you’re going to some pretty dark places. We’re lucky we get these opportunities to bounce back on a regular basis.”Playing with Covid is more challenging off the pitch than on the pitch because you’re worrying about tests, then told to stay in the room till the tests come back and you’re told it’s going to be delayed and you’re literally sitting on the edge of your seat in your room wondering if you have it. At the same time we’ve got a job to do once we cross the white line, no matter what’s going on.”Even though a lot of players around the world are now vaccinated and squads live in bio-bubbles to play international cricket, Balbirnie said the stress of going through tests again and again was draining and affects players’ mental health.”It’s hugely challenging. It has a massive effect on your mental health. Like getting a PCR test and sitting in your room for 24 hours, not knowing if you’re going to miss the whole series and to spend 14 days in a room with no balcony, it’s not healthy. I don’t really think you can continue [like that], there need to be ways to look after the players’ welfare or they’ll decide not to go on tour and that’ll be completely understandable. You have to look after them first and foremost as an individual before a cricketer.”With Stirling and Getkate unavailable for the opening ODI, Balbirnie said it would give one of the youngsters a chance to shine, especially in Stirling’s absence. He also confirmed Ireland would stick to the same top three that played in the warm-up against Jamaica on Wednesday in a five-wicket loss.”It’s very strange [to be without Stirling],” Balbirnie said. “I think I played a series against Scotland back in 2014 which was the last time I lined up in an ODI without him. It’s massively disappointing to lose him for the first game but at the same time it means someone has to step up now. We need to produce match-winners. Hopefully one of the young guys can have the experience of winning a game for Ireland, that’s why you play the game.”

Nazmul Islam impresses with maiden four-for as Sylhet record first win

Mohammad Isam25-Jan-2022Sylhet Sunrisers 100 (Mahmudullah 33, Nazmul 4-18) beat Minister Group Dhaka 101 for 3 (Anamul 45, Mashrafe 2-21) by seven wicketsHow the match played out
Sylhet Sunrisers opened their account in BPL 2022 with a seven-wicket win over Minister Group Dhaka. It was a clinical win, too. They skittled Dhaka for 100 in 18.4 overs and then knocked off the runs with three overs to spare.Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam took his maiden four-for in T20s to hasten the collapse. However, two of his four scalps were aided by poor lbw calls.Mohammad Naim was given out despite getting a glove while attempting a reverse sweep, while Andre Russell was sent back despite getting an inside edge onto his front pad. Tamim Iqbal, too, seemed unsatisfied with his lbw decision; the ball having appeared to have struck him even though he was well forward.Dhaka went up in a protest as Mahmudullah was seen talking to the on-field umpires, even as some of their other players engaged with the fourth umpire. The absence of DRS suddenly became a massive talking point.Sylhet made light work of the chase, though, with Anamul Haque hitting 45. He fell with two to win, before Ravi Bopara hit the winning runs.Big hit
It was Sylhet’s bowling that put Dhaka on the back foot. Sohag Gazi and captain Mosaddek Hossain reduced them to 17 for three in the sixth over. Gazi finished early, taking 2 for 17 off his four overs.Nazmul continued the good work by bowling stump-to-stump. He removed Naim and Russell in the 13th over. His third scalp was that of Mahmudullah caught at short fine-leg, before trapping Shuvagata Hom lbw for 21.The spinners dried up the boundaries, as Dhaka managed their first six only in the 16th over. Taskin Ahmed then rounded off the innings with three late strikes, finishing with 3 for 22 from his 2.4 overs.Big miss
Dhaka’s top four had another poor outing, of particular concern being Naim and Jahurul Islam, who are yet to fire.

Visiting captain, speaking from isolation on arrival in New Zealand, throws vote of confidence behind Sarel Erwee in Keegan Petersen’s absence

Firdose Moonda10-Feb-2022South Africa are gearing up for a second successive series that’s been billed as a battle of the bowlers – this one’s against New Zealand, comprising two Tests in Christchurch. After coming out on top against the best Indian pace attack to ever travel to South Africa, Dean Elgar believes his batting line-up is prepared.”With respect, New Zealand’s attack are a little bit down on pace compared to the Indian attack,” Elgar said from the team’s Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facility. “In saying that, they execute their skills perfectly in their conditions.”And this time, New Zealand’s quicks will be operating on the surface with a reputation for being the quickest in the country. Hagley Oval, where both matches will be played, “is known for its pace and bounce” Elgar reiterated.New Zealand last played a Test there a month ago, against Bangladesh, and bowled them out for 126 and 278 to win by an innings and 117 runs. Trent Boult’s first-innings 5 for 43 set the tone but he won’t be part of the first Test against South Africa as he awaits the birth of his first child. Instead, New Zealand will rely on Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Matt Henry, all of whom South Africa know well, and Kyle Jamieson, who has yet to play a match against South Africa.On their end, South Africa have stacked their squad with six seam bowlers, with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen likely to start, and Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla and Glenton Stuurman in reserve. Elgar expects the sparks to fly from one attack to the other. “We know they are going to come out all guns blazing and so are we,” he said. “The rivalry is pretty deep. They play cricket pretty similarly to us. They are extremely proud, extremely passionate and their bowlers are quality. We are aware of their ability. We respect that. And it’s going to be a great test for us to match ourselves and compare ourselves with a team that’s playing at their peak.”South Africa have never lost a Test series to New Zealand and have won their last six, including victories in New Zealand in 2012 and 2017. But they have also never played a Test at Hagley Oval, and on their last two tours competed in Dunedin, Wellington and Hamilton. In 2017, Kehsav Maharaj was the leading wicket-taker and South Africa won the series thanks to him and a 160-run seventh-wicket stand between Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock in Wellington.Apart from Elgar and Bavuma, the rest of South Africa’s top seven is completely different to the one that did duty in 2017 and different too to the players who did duty against India. Keegan Petersen, the new No. 3 and leading run-scorer against India, was ruled out of the tour after he contracted Covid-19 and, though he is likely to reclaim his spot, it gives South Africa an opportunity to try one of the reserves. Sarel Erwee, a regular opener is the frontrunner, with Zubayr Hamza and wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton also in the squad. Elgar made no mention of Rickelton, who has scored three hundreds and a 90 in his last five first-class innings, and gave his vote to Erwee.”We’ve got Sarel Erwee – he has been with us for quite a few tours now – and he is the favourite,” Elgar said. “We also have Zubayr Hamza, who has come with a lot of South Africa A runs under his belt. It’s those two options for us at the moment. Sarel has been with us for the longest period of time. He is a great team guy and from a respect point of view, and pecking order, a guy like Sarel is ahead of Zubayr. That’s my opinion.”South Africa will finalise their team composition once they get out of quarantine and to the venue where the Tests will be played. They are currently training at the high-performance centre at Lincoln University as they complete their 10-day isolation. “We are allowed to leave the hotel to go and train as a group but once we return back to the MIQ, we are straight back into our rooms. There’s still no mingling between the players,” Elgar said. “We do have the luxury to go and use the gym. We’ve got allocated times and we’ve got a training schedule we are allowed to fulfil as a group. It’s very strict.”While Elgar said the regulations have been difficult for the squad, so much so that he has lost track of which day of the week it is, he said South Africa have been “treated well with regards to what we asked for”, and they are looking forward to freedom early next week.By then, the IPL auction will have taken place and some of the players’ lives could have changed forever. “Some guys might have a life-changing auction go their way and I will be the first guy to come up and congratulate them. Beers on them,” Elgar said. “If a player is to pick up a big deal, we are still going to pull him in line because he’s got to play for us. First and foremost, playing Test cricket for your country is the ultimate.”

SLC medical department chief: “It’s not that he has got a new infection, it’s just that he has not cleared the old infection, according to their (Australia’s) level”

Madushka Balasuriya23-Feb-2022Wanindu Hasaranga is almost certain to miss the upcoming three-T20I series against India, starting on Thursday in Lucknow, after he returned another positive Covid-19 test. Hasaranga, currently in Melbourne, will not be able to link up with the travelling party in India as a result.Related

• Depleted Sri Lanka face uphill task to upset heavyweights India

• Rohit 'looking forward to playing all games' but admits managing workload will be key

• Rajapaksa left out of India T20Is for fitness reasons

• Injured Chahar, Suryakumar ruled out of SL T20Is

Hasaranga, third in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers, initially tested positive on February 15, ahead of Sri Lanka’s third T20I against Australia. This forced him to miss the remainder of the tour, but the hope at the time was that following a weeklong quarantine, he would be ready to face India.For that, though, he needed to return a negative RT-PCR test. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Hasaranga, despite having returned a negative Rapid Antigen Test, had a positive RT-PCR test. That will allow him to leave Australia, but he will not be allowed to enter India without a negative report.According to Arjuna de Silva, the head of SLC’s medical department, Hasaranga’s positive result is down to the fact that Australia requires a higher CT value for the result to be deemed negative; lower the CT value, higher the viral load. de Silva, though, expressed hope that Hasaranga would return a negative test soon.”Wanindu has finished his seven-day isolation. His CT value is very high in any case, so we hope that by tomorrow his PCR should be negative,” de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not that he has got a new infection, it’s just that he has not cleared the old infection according to their (Australia’s) level. Each country has a different cut-off for a positive result, Australia’s is fairly high and so to reach that value takes some time.”He’ll miss the first match [against India] for sure. Our job is to get him to India. Of course, whether he plays or not is a different matter. That depends on his fitness and other factors.”We’re doing PCRs daily, so as soon he’s negative, he can fly to India – maybe even tomorrow. He will then have to be assessed by the team doctor and the physio to determine if he can play any part in the tour. At the moment, he has no symptoms.”Sri Lanka will play three T20Is in India, on February 24, 26 and 27, with the action moving to Dharamsala after the first game. They will then play two Tests, the first from March 4 to 8 in Mohali and the second from March 12 to 16 in Bengaluru.As such, Hasaranga might have to stay on in India after the Test series, and join the training sessions for Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bought the legspin-bowling allrounder back at the recent IPL auction for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.42 million). The 2022 edition of the IPL is expected to start around the end of March.

While Titans pace attack proved too much for Knight Riders, Sunrisers’ pace battery floored Royal Challengers in their previous outings

Deivarayan Muthu26-Apr-20222:25

Can Gujarat cope without Hardik the bowler?

Big picture

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, Marco Jansen and T Natarajan on one side. Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph and Rashid Khan on the other. Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans.Sunrisers (20.69) have the best bowling average this season, followed by Titans’ 25.79. Sunrisers’ attack also has the best economy rate of 7.99, with Titans – 8.22 – hot on their heels. Plus, there’s the tasty narrative of Rashid going up against his former franchise once again.Related

• Short proves sweet for Gujarat Titans' pace quartet

• IPL 2022: Five players who have gone from being back-ups to certainties

• Umran Malik, bringing the IPL alive with raw pace

The last time these two sides met, earlier this month, Rashid bagged a duck with the bat and his bowling was largely diffused by Sunrisers as Titans suffered their first – and only – defeat of the season. Can Sunrisers now do the double over Titans?While Sunrisers’ batting looks in healthy shape, with the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, and Abhishek Sharma contributing handsomely, Titans’ has largely revolved around their captain Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill. While Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia have applied finishing touches at different points, the overall balance of the line-up still appears shaky, especially when Pandya isn’t fit enough to bowl and when Tewatia, Rashid and Abhinav are Nos. 5, 6 and 7. Titans have also had some luck along the way, but can they find a way once it runs out?

Live in the USA

You can watch the action live on ESPN+ .

Considering that both the attacks drip with supreme skill and variety, it is the batting that could decide this game.

In the news

Sunrisers’ premier spinner Washington Sundar has now missed three successive matches with a hand injury. Speaking to Star Sports, the host broadcaster, last week, Hemang Badani, Sunrisers’ fielding coach and talent scout, hinted that Washington wouldn’t be rushed back into action and that he will return only after he withstands some load during practice. Washington trained with the squad on Tuesday, but it remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to play on Wednesday.

Likely XIs

Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Hardik Pandya (capt), 4 David Miller, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Abhinav Manohar, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Yash DayalSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 6 Shashank Singh, 7 J Suchith/Washington Sundar, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Umran Malik, 11 T NatarajanGujarat Titans have used their bowling resources well this season•BCCI

Strategy punt

The sample size is fairly small – 35 runs off 26 balls – but the in-form Rahul Tripathi could be Sunrisers’ best bet to deal with Rashid. He has struck at nearly 135 against the wristspinner while being dismissed just once in the IPL.

Stats that matter

• Natarajan has been among the best bowlers both at the top and tail this IPL. Nobody has picked up more wickets than his six in the powerplay. Only Dwayne Bravo (9) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (7) have taken more wickets than his six at the death.
• Gill has struggled against Bhuvneshwar in the IPL, managing only 32 runs off 37 balls at a strike rate of 86.48 while being dismissed twice.
• Sunrisers (40) and Titans (37) have hit the least sixes among the ten teams this season.
• Shami has removed Kane Williamson four times in ten T20 innings while giving up 66 runs off 47 balls.
• Sunrisers have won just one of the seven IPL games they have played at the Wankhede Stadium.

Selectors may ponder batting Ashton Agar batting at No. 7 if conditions dictate a different balance of team

Alex Malcolm04-May-2022Australia could consider playing five specialist bowlers plus an allrounder in Sri Lanka as a way of sneaking three spinners into the side for back-to-back Tests in Galle.They picked three specialist spinners, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar, in their Test squad last week along with three further specialist spinners – Todd Murphy, Matt Kuhnemann and Tanveer Sangha – for the Australia A tour to take place just prior to the Test series.Chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed that the prospect of playing three spinners in the one Australian line-up was possible, something they did in Bangladesh in 2017 when Agar last played a Test match.Speaking to on Tuesday, head coach Andrew McDonald expanded on the selection conundrum of picking three spinners in the XI with particular reference to both Tests being played in Galle.Related

• Australia keen to expose 'scarcity' of spin stocks in Sri Lanka

• Pat Cummins rested for Sri Lanka T20Is; big guns return for white-ball leg

• McDonald never considered England due to split coaching roles

“It’s always there,” McDonald said. “You pick three spinners in your squad for that exact reason. We challenged ourselves on it in Pakistan but the information we had leading into the games there was probably two spinners at best.”Galle creates another conversation. It’s how you fit them in. Mitchell Starc has an unbelievable record in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka in particular. I think the last tour there he was the leading wicket-taker. So you’re going to be a brave man to leave out either the captain [Pat Cummins] or Mitch Starc to pick a third spinner. So it’s really how it fits.”Can Ashton Agar potentially bat one spot higher to create a bit of space? I think what we’ve done is we’ve given ourselves the options through what we’ve picked and that’s the important part.”We feel as though we’ve got the balance to play multiple ways depending on the conditions. Two Test matches in the one venue back-to-back is an uncommon thing as well. There’s a few variables on the ground. But we’ll hope to make some good decisions when we get there.”Mitchell Starc holds the ball up after taking his second five-wicket haul of the match in Galle•AFP

Starc took 24 wickets for the series on the 2016 three-Test tour of Sri Lanka including 11 wickets in the match in the last Test Australia played in Galle. But Australia were thumped by 229 runs with offspinner Dilruwan Perera bagging 10 wickets as Sri Lanka played three spinners and one fast bowler in the Test, with Vishwa Fernando bowling just two overs for the match. Australia played two spinners and two fast bowlers, with Mitchell Marsh as the allrounder. Lyon played as the sole spinner on debut in Galle in 2011 taking 5 for 34 in the first innings but Australia’s quicks did the damage in the second innings.Sri Lanka hosted four Tests at Galle last year, with left-arm orthodox Lasith Embuldeniya taking 28 wickets while offspinner Ramesh Mendis took 20 in three matches. England won two Tests with a five-man attack picking two quicks and two spinners with Sam Curran playing as the bowling allrounder. Spin duo Dom Bess and Jack Leach took 22 wickets between in the two victories.A five-strong Australian attack of Starc, Cummins, Lyon, Swepson and Agar would require the wicketkeeper Alex Carey to bat at No. 6 and would leave Travis Head vulnerable given Cameron Green’s value as the additional bowling option. It also means there is still no room for Josh Hazlewood who was left out of the last two Tests in Pakistan while Scott Boland has not played since his remarkable debut in the Ashes.However, the need for six bowlers in Galle might be surplus to requirements given there has not been a drawn Test there since 2013, with the last 15 Tests ending with a result.Australia’s ability to bat long and bat big, particularly in the first innings, was pivotal to their victory in Pakistan. Although batting conditions may be more difficult in Sri Lanka, the same blueprint will be used to pave the way for success there as it was in the victorious tours of 2004 and 2011 when Australia had to bat their way out of trouble on several occasions. The inability to counter spin in 2016 led to a 3-0 defeat.McDonald did confirm that Glenn Maxwell’s name had briefly entered selection discussions ahead of the tour given his skill and experience on the subcontinent, but ultimately it was decided to stick with the group that succeeded in Pakistan.”He’s got a great record in the subcontinent, India in particular with that hundred at Ranchi,” McDonald said. “He can give us offspin. Yeah, there was a small discussion around what it would potentially look like but I think the reward for the team that went to Pakistan as well, that squad, the way it went about it’s work, it was always going to be very difficult to change that way of playing.”

The pressure is on the BBL to get big-name players to revive the competition

Alex Malcolm22-Jun-2022After two years of planning and delays caused by Covid-19 the BBL has finally unveiled an overseas player draft for the upcoming season. Here is everything you need to know.What is the overseas draft?
BBL teams will no longer go out and search for their three overseas players privately. They will select a minimum of two or a maximum of three from a draft that will likely be held on a single day in August. The draft will only be for the overseas players. Domestic players will be contracted in the same way they always are.How do overseas players nominate?
Players get to nominate their price category and their availability in terms of the number of games they can play. The BBL will once again be a 14-game season plus finals and CA are realistic that not all overseas will be available for the whole competition. There will be a nomination window between June and August. Players will be put into four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The players themselves can choose to enter the Gold, Silver, or Bronze band. Platinum players will be decided by the BBL based off the nominations and will be paid an estimated $AUD340,000. A significant portion of that will sit outside the $AUD1.9 million salary cap, with Cricket Australia topping up the deal via a marquee payment. That money is a flat rate and will be paid regardless of whether the player makes themselves available for six games or for 14. There are no match payments in the BBL, as players are contracted with set retainers.Gold players will earn approximately $AUD260,000, Silver $AUD175,000 and Bronze $AUD100,000. Like the Platinum category, a portion will be paid by the club inside the cap and CA will contribute a bonus outside the cap, but the proportion of marquee payments from CA are not consistent across the categories, with Platinum receiving a greater bonus than Bronze. The categories only relate to price, not to availability. So players can nominate to be available for the whole tournament in the Bronze category, or for half the tournament in the Platinum category. Their availability is their currency and teams will have to decide whether a Platinum player with limited availability is worth selecting.What is the draft order?
There will be a weighted lottery to decide the order. The three teams who missed the finals last season – Melbourne Renegades, Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars – will enter a lottery for the first three draft picks. Renegades, who finished last, will get three chances to get the first draft pick, Heat two and Stars one. Here’s another way to think of it: there are six balls in the first lottery and three of them are Renegades’ giving them a 50% chance of first pick, whereas Stars, with one ball, only have 16.66% chance.The order of the next five picks will be selected from a second pot featuring the finalists from last season. Again, the lottery will be weighted. Fifth-placed Hobart Hurricanes will get five chances to get the fourth pick, Sydney Thunder four, Adelaide Strikers three, Sydney Sixers two, and defending champions Perth Scorchers will get one. Picks five to eight will be drawn the same way. Once the order is established via the two weighted lotteries, the first two rounds of the draft will run in order from one to eight. Round three will run in reverse order, so team eight will get two selections in a row (notionally pick 16 and 17). Round four will run in normal order again. So team one will get two selections in a row (picks 24 and 25).Cricket Australia

How does the draft work?
There will be four rounds of the draft with each team getting one pick per round. Clubs can pass if they don’t want to pick in certain rounds but must pick a minimum of two or a maximum of three players by the completion of round four. Round one is for Platinum players only. In round two, teams can pick Platinum or Gold players. In round three, teams can select Gold or Silver players. In round four, teams can pick Silver or Bronze players. Teams do not have to select a Platinum player.Can overseas players who are currently connected with BBL clubs be retained?
Yes, they can. But only one. This could be coined the “Rashid Khan rule”. For example, Rashid has played his entire BBL career with Strikers but is almost certainly going to be a Platinum player and available to everyone in the first round. If Renegades get the first pick in the lottery and select Rashid, Strikers have the option to use their retention pick to keep him. Strikers would have to pay the same amount of money and they have to use their pick in the first round to retain him. Renegades would then get the opportunity to pick again. Players such as Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman at Heat, Alex Hales at Thunder and Haris Rauf at Stars could be retention picks given their strong links to the teams if they nominate in the draft.Cricket Australia

Are there swapping of picks?
No, once the draft order is set, it will remain that way.What about replacement players?
Each team can contract up to four replacement overseas players (or five if they have only taken two players at the draft) if their picks in the draft become unavailable due to injury or international duty. There will be an additional $AUD50,000 replacement bonus available for clubs use outside of the salary cap to help recruit replacement players. However, replacement overseas players must have nominated for the draft and to be eligible for the $50,000 teams have to have selected a Platinum player. If a team picks two Platinum players they are eligible for $100,000 salary cap relief. Teams can’t tell overseas players privately not to nominate for the draft and then contract them as replacements. They must have been available to all teams initially in the draft before being available as a replacement.Are the list sizes the same?
Yes. Clubs will have contract lists of 18 players comprising of 15 domestic Australian players and three overseas, although teams can have 16 locals and a minimum of two overseas. Any replacement overseas players are on top of that.What about uncontracted Australian players?
There is a possibility that Australian international players will be available for large portions of the upcoming BBL. Australia’s limited-overs specialists will be available for the first half of the tournament and could be there throughout if the three-match ODI series against South Africa scheduled for January 12-17 does not go ahead. Australia’s Test players will miss the first part of the tournament but will be available from January 9 at the conclusion of the Sydney Test against South Africa.Multi-format internationals like David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green are players who currently do not have BBL contracts with clubs. If they are available, and a club does not have a full list or needs an overseas replacement player, clubs can use the $50,000 replacement bonus, plus any space left in their salary cap, on Australian players to contract them for the back end of the tournament. This ensures that the farcical situation with Smith and Sixers last season will likely be avoided.Will the overseas draft be televised?
The BBL is in discussion with rights holders Channel Seven and Foxtel about televising the draft. Should neither of those networks opt to show it, the draft will likely be streamed online.

England captain will manage workload to ensure he’s ready for T20 World Cup in Australia

Matt Roller16-Jun-2022Eoin Morgan will rest himself for some of England’s limited-overs international fixtures this summer amid concerns over his fitness, but has insisted that he still feels as though he can “contribute to a World Cup win” in Australia this winter.Morgan injured his right quad in January after playing back-to-back games in Barbados during England’s T20I series against West Indies and suffered a “mild groin strain” playing for Middlesex in the Blast despite managing his workload by missing games, but hopes to play all three ODIs against Netherlands in Amstelveen this week.His position as limited-overs captain has come under scrutiny – he has made a single half-century in international cricket over the last 18 months, and none in domestic T20 cricket – but he intends to stay on at least until the T20 World Cup in October-November.Asked if he would continue into England’s defence of their 50-over crown in India next winter, Morgan said: “That’s a long way away. I need to get to the T20 one first. I’m going to take it as it comes, managing my contribution, my body.”Am I still contributing on and off the field, within the team? I will be as honest as I [have been] with everybody since I started the captaincy. At the moment, I still feel like I contribute and still feel like I can contribute to a World Cup win. That’s an important drive for me.”Matthew Mott, England’s new white-ball coach, threw his support behind Morgan in his first press conference in the role on Wednesday. “He always says he wants to be picked as a batter in that team on form and merit all the way through and when he feels that’s not the case then he would step aside,” Mott said. “I think that’s a long way off being at that point.”Great players go through runs at different times and sometimes you flick a switch and it turns and you wonder what all the fuss has been about. You can tell when he speaks, everybody is listening. That leadership is something that’s probably not as recognised as much from the outside as it is inside. He’s got a lot of great cricket ahead of him.”Morgan said he was “reluctant” to “100% commit” to playing all three ODIs but intends to do so. However, he is likely to miss at least two of England’s six T20Is this summer, with England due to play on successive days during both the India and South Africa series.”It’s unlikely I will be playing every game this summer,” he said, “but that’s purely dependent on how I get from here to that match. If I’m flying and everything is going well, absolutely, but if not, there is no need to try and replicate that for a World Cup because it just doesn’t happen [in ICC events].”In terms of the focus on his position, Morgan said that it was “part and parcel” of the role. “It happens all the time as a player, never mind as a captain,” he said. “I genuinely have the best interests of the team at heart. It’s always been that way: I have trusted that method since I took over. To be in the position I am in at the moment is a privilege.”England have not played an ODI series since their second-string side whitewashed Pakistan in July 2021 after a Covid outbreak and have only played one white-ball series – the 3-2 defeat to West Indies in January – since last year’s T20 World Cup. As a result, Morgan said that he sees this series as the start of their run-in ahead of this year’s tournament, which he expects to “fly around”.Related

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“It revolves around trying to get the right players in the right roles given the squad we’ve brought,” he said. “July’s a huge month for us in preparation for the [T20] World Cup, playing against two very strong sides [India and South Africa] over the course of a month which will test us.”That’s where we want to be in order to try and prepare ourselves best for that World Cup. Then there’s the Hundred obviously, but then we have no more international cricket before we go to Pakistan and then we have three games [in Australia] before the World Cup.”Jos Buttler is likely to shuffle up the order to No. 4, having mainly batted at No. 6 in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup and in the tournament, while Phil Salt is expected to open with Jason Roy and Dawid Malan will be given a chance at No. 3. England’s bowling cartel features five left-arm seamers – though Sam Curran is unlikely to bowl a full 10 overs as the ECB manage his comeback from a back stress fracture.”The fact they are left-armers gives them a different angle, a different strategy,” Morgan said. “Certainly in my experience, left-armers are open to doing more and doing different things, which is great. But the guys who are selected are purely here on merit. Ideally in our best squad, you would like a point of difference: if that’s left-arm or if it’s a guy who bowls 90mph [145kph] plus, then that’s great.”