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The hope that the South African would bring some mega-star quality to the BBL have been dashed and raised further questions about the direction the tournament is heading

Daniel Brettig13-May-2019From start to finish, a whiff of panic lingered over the way the Big Bash League and its clubs handled AB de Villiers’ brief and ultimately dead end flirtation with the tournament. As the most game-changing addition to Australian cricket, and indeed sport, in well over a decade, the BBL deserved better than to play host to a saga that had no winners.Whether it was Cricket Australia, the clubs or their broadcasters Seven and Fox Sports/News Corp, the eagerness to secure de Villiers after he declined to take part in the tournament last season seemed motivated as much by worry about the summer to come as it was by robust belief in the strength of the competition that already exists.De Villiers and his management, having fielded offers by more than half the clubs, indicated on Friday that he was no longer interested, providing no concrete reasons other than to complain about the “repeated media leaks” about his interest and then the terms by which he would be secured.Given the length of the tournament, the constraints of the BBL salary cap and the close proximity of news that Australia’s best white-ball players would be away in India for an ODI tour during much of January, thus depriving the league of much of its best homegrown talent, the sense that it was “AB or bust” left plenty of questions hanging in the air.ALSO READ: AB de Villiers pulls back from BBL interestFor one thing, the sort of money that needed to be cobbled together, via the successful club, CA’s marketing funds and the broadcasters – both of whom were involved in discussions around signing de Villiers to “value-add” deals to help get him to the figure he desired – made a mockery of the payments usually available to players taking part in the tournament, while raising the issue of whether de Villiers would be in Australia as a cricketer or a billboard.A figure in the region of A$350,000 for a handful of games made even the headlining five-year, A$1 million deal signed by Chris Lynn with the Brisbane Heat in 2017 look puny. Global market pressures from the BPL and elsewhere forced CA, the clubs and broadcasters to raise their eyes above the usual sorts of deals, but there were plenty of voices questioning the integrity of an arrangement that would allow the successful – most likely major market – club to benefit from one player being paid so much outside the cap in broad daylight.Not for the first time, tails seemed to be wagging dogs. The first indications of de Villiers coming to Australia only became apparent after it was clear that the BCCI would insist on a tour of India in mid-January, duly depriving Fox Sports of the exclusive ODI content on home soil it had paid the lion’s share of a A$1.18 billion rights deal to secure. ESPNcricinfo understands that broadcasters were contacted and asked to put in lucrative commentary offers to de Villiers’ management by way of sweetening the deal, this after CA had itself written to the clubs to indicate it was willing to put in extra funds in the region of A$50,000 to help add ballast to any club’s offer.Such exchanges bore the stamp not of the maturing and successful league that the BBL now is, but instead of the nascent exhibition tournament that it was eight years ago. Back then in 2011, similar package deals ensured Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen, to name two, were secured as high profile talent.Pat Cummins made a rare appearance for Sydney Thunder•Getty Images

Elsewhere Chris Gayle was attracted to the Sydney Thunder on a deal that was believed to constitute near enough to half the club’s entire salary cap. Entering season number eight, having grown from a start-up as part of Fox Sports’ then modest domestic rights deal to being worth roughly half of the total $1.18 billion rights value, the BBL really should be past such dealings.Imagine, for a moment, a salary capped league such as the AFL in which broadcasters were approached to offer extra money outside the cap to a particular player to ensure their arrival at a club in the league’s preferred market. While the constraints of the BBL cap are determined as much by CA’s wider strategic goal of maintaining the primacy of international cricket as by any cash shortage, there has to be a more systematic and professional way to go about things.That, of course, is if the BBL is to be viewed as a league with genuine club support, and not an exhibition tournament where the overall “product” watched by as many viewers as possible regardless of the competing teams or their context means more than anything. This tension has been evident in discussions about the shape of the competition for next season, from whether the finals series should include the current four teams or be raised to five out of eight, as well as the aforementioned issues around marquee recruitment.Undoubtedly the exponential increase in the number of games per team has created problems, but so too the vagaries of pitches such as problematic drop-ins at Docklands Stadium – home to the Melbourne Renegades – and the Sydney Showgrounds – home to the Thunder.Among the most intriguing learnings from last summer was that some of the biggest television ratings for the entire tournament took place when the Heat’s Ben Cutting and Max Bryant laid waste to the Melbourne Stars by chasing down 156 inside 10 overs – an audience not for a contest, but for freakishly big hitting.That sort of display was most certainly in the minds of all those parties working to get de Villiers to Australia. In their future decisions, the integrity and longer term growth of a competition must take greater precedence. All the scrambling made the BBL look less like the biggest addition to cricket down under in decades, and more like a league struggling to stay afloat.

‘Where the white balls have been quite prominent in that you can see their quarter seams, and everything with the ball but now it is fully covered’

Sidharth Monga in Bristol06-Jun-2019This was supposed to be a high-scoring World Cup with the bowlers just making up the numbers, but there has been a much closer contest between bat and ball. And according to one of the men responsible for these low scores, Trent Boult, this might all be down to the glossier Kookaburra balls made available for this tournament.Unlike with the red ball, it is hard to tell from the outside how shiny the white ball is. The lot for this World Cup is shinier, says Boult, which has helped the fast bowlers swing it more. Kookaburra, however, is of the opinion that any change in the ball is part of its normal evolution, while the ICC says it is happy with the results yielded.”The ball is actually different for this tournament,” Boult said after New Zealand’s two-wicket win against Bangladesh in another low-scoring match. “They have got a different gloss on them. Or they are painted differently, so I don’t know if you have talked about it too much but there has definitely been a little bit more swing. Where the white balls have been quite prominent in that you can see their quarter seams, and everything with the ball but now it is fully covered. It is nice to hold in the hand. It is moving a little bit. Yeah, we are happy.”ALSO READ: How Kookaburra balls came to rule the worldWhen asked if it was just the ball or the conditions, too, having an impact on the run-scoring, Boult said: “It is hard one. I want to say a lot of it is the ball. But, yeah, conditions have been pretty good all around the world. But I believe there should be a period at the start of play where it is battle of bat versus ball. And it is an even one. It is nice to see the ball moving like it is at the moment.”Boult said the ball for this World Cup felt a bit like the pink ball used in day-night Tests, which has more lacquer on it to help it last a minimum of 80 Test overs. He didn’t know, though, if this was a conscious move from the ICC or Kookaburra. “I have no idea why they have done it like that to be honest. The pink ball was like that. With the pink ball, you couldn’t see the quarter seam. Whether they have gone with feedback on how the pink ball performed, I am not sure.”The white Kookaburra has been a topic of debate ever since it stopped swinging just after the 2015 World Cup. During that tournament, Boult and Tim Southee hooped it round corners to form an ultra-aggressive New Zealand plan where they bowled long spells at the start of the innings. Ever since then, the white ball has rarely swung conventionally, even for bowlers who will extract every last bit of swing available.”I can’t really remember the ball [used in 2015], to be honest, but I can remember it swinging,” Boult said when asked if he saw a big difference between the balls used in 2015 the World Cup and just after. “I don’t know. It is just one of those things. It hasn’t swung like that in New Zealand ever since. Great feeling and great tournament obviously to be a part of. Hopefully we can replicate some of the scenes from back then to 2019.”It turns out this is not a conscious effort on the part of either the ICC or Kookaburra nor is it an overnight development. It might just be natural evolution. “There’s been no directive on changing the white ball for this World Cup, nor anything definitively changed,” Kookaburra told ESPNcricinfo. “There is a constant evolution that dates right back to World Series Cricket in 1977 and through to the pink ball for day-night Test cricket, with improved hardness and finish of the ball the key objectives; we research, test and improve, and this is the result.”The ICC confirmed to ESPNcricinfo it has made no specific request to Kookaburra in this regard. The ball manufacturers, though, are quite happy with the results. “We’re really pleased with the feedback on the white ball in this World Cup to date. Our aim is to provide balance for swing, seam, spin and the batters, and this positive feedback has been consistent with what we’ve heard for the last two years around the world. Perhaps that general improvement is just more obvious right now that we’re on the global stage at a World Cup but it’s not an overnight change; it’s [been] years in the making.”

All the live updates and analyses from the crucial England v New Zealand game

Daniel Brettig03-Jul-2019

Wood, who consistently exceeded 90mph during the World Cup, felt pain in his left side during the final against New Zealand but bowl through it to help win the title

George Dobell02-Aug-2019Mark Wood will miss the rest of the season as a result of the side strain sustained during the World Cup final.Wood, who consistently exceeded 90mph during the tournament, felt pain in his left side during the final against New Zealand. But with the game in the balance continued to bowl at a high pace and almost certainly exacerbated the strain. The winners’ medal he has to show for it will, no doubt, ease the pain of missing the Ashes.Wood will also have surgery on his right knee to clear up some excess cartilage. In normal circumstances, however, that issue would only be expected to put him out of action for two or three weeks. It is the side strain that will keep him on the sidelines for longer.While England have intimated they are set to play a second string side in the Test series in New Zealand – the series does not count towards the World Test Championship – they are likely to take the T20Is that proceed that series much more seriously. There is a T20 World Cup in little more than a year and Wood will have a good chance of playing in it. His Test return may have to wait until the South Africa tour.Of England bowlers, only Jofra Archer claimed more than Wood’s 18 wickets in the World Cup. Wood also claimed his Test-best figures of 5 for 41 in the only Test he has played in the last year. Bowling unusually fast, he was player of the match for his performance in that Test in St Lucia and would have been a key part of England’s Ashes plans had he been fit.Wood’s career has been blighted by injury issues. He has had a succession of problems with his ankle and, until the St Lucia Test, had struggled to turn his potential into something more tangible. But since utilising a longer run-up, he has consistently bowled at speeds above 90mph and enjoyed much better results as a consequence.

The visitors are yet to taste defeat on the white-ball leg of their Caribbean tour

The Preview by Hemant Brar13-Aug-20197:52

Ganga: India need not pre-determine their No. 4 batsman

Big Picture

In the second ODI at Queen’s Park Oval, chasing 270 in 46 overs, West Indies needed 91 off 71 at one stage with six wickets in hand and a set batsman in Nicholas Pooran at the crease.Percentage cricket for a few more overs was perhaps the way to go, but Pooran played a shot that was a microcosm of West Indies’ problems in ODI cricket. Skipping down the track in a premeditated manner, he ended up mistiming a pull to Virat Kohli at midwicket.Pooran’s wicket triggered a collapse and the hosts slipped from 179 for 4 to 182 for 8, with the result all but decided.At 23, Pooran is a young man with a bright future and the promise of winning many games for his team but West Indies will be hurting after squandering the opportunity to go 1-0 up in the series.However, it wasn’t all gloom for them. Their bowlers had brought them into the match by conceding just 67 runs in the last ten overs. Come Wednesday, West Indies will have another chance – this time to level the series – as the two teams face each other at the same venue for the final ODI.India, on the other hand, will be aiming to finish the white-ball leg of the tour undefeated. As far as their search for the No. 4 batsman is concerned, it looks like Rishabh Pant has his captain’s backing for now. Though he didn’t quite convince during his 20 off 35 balls in the last match, Pant should once again slot in at No. 4.Shikhar Dhawan is yet to strike form after his return from the hand injury that cut his World Cup short, but it’s far from a worry for the team management at this moment.

Form guide

West Indies LWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India WLWWL

In the spotlight

From the start of 2018 to the start of the World Cup, Shai Hope scored 1460 runs in 28 ODIs at an average of 66.36. More than half those runs came in just eight innings, while opening the batting. At the World Cup, where he batted mostly at No. 3, Hope had lukewarm returns – 274 runs at 34.25. After being dismissed for 5 in the second ODI, Hope will look forward to getting back among the runs.Bhuvneshwar Kumar clings onto a return catch•Associated Press

Fifteen wickets in five innings. A bowling average of 6.73, a strike rate of 14.0. Only Curtly Ambrose has more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar at Queen’s Park Oval. With the game in the balance, it was his three wickets in seven balls that turned the second ODI in India’s favour. India will be hoping for an encore from the swing bowler.

Team news

Evin Lewis, who struggled with his calf injury during the second ODI, has recovered well after a day’s rest and should be part of the playing XI. Fabian Allen is also fit and most likely will replace Oshane Thomas who went for 32 in his four wicketless overs on Sunday.West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sheldon CottrellWith the series still not decided, India might once again field an unchanged XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Shreyas Iyer, 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Kuldeep Yadav

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be humid once again, with a forecast for showers throughout the day. Although teams batting first have won five of the last six completed ODIs here, the chance of rain might tempt the captains to bat second.The match will be played on the same pitch as the last one.

Stats and trivia

• As an opener in ODIs, Hope has scored 860 runs at an average of 95.55 and a strike rate of 92.47. Batting elsewhere, his 1672 runs have come at an average of 38.00, with a strike rate of 69.00.
• In his last 20 ODIs, Kuldeep Yadav has taken only 29 wickets at an average of 32.62. Prior to that, he had 67 wickets in 33 games at an average of 20.07.
• Currently on 96 wickets from 53 ODIs, Kuldeep has a chance to break Mohammad Shami’s record (55 matches) for the fastest Indian to 100-ODI wickets.

Quotes

“The preparation is good going into the last game. The previous game we cut the preparation short [because of the rain] but today we got a full practice [session] in. The boys are in good spirits and we are looking forward to go out there tomorrow and win the game and draw the series.”

Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner hold their nerve as New Zealand take a series lead

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Sep-2019A bruising 79-run fourth-wicket stand off 37 balls between Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme energised a flailing New Zealand innings, and set them on track for what would eventually become a comfortable victory.The visitors ran down Sri Lanka’s 174 with three balls and five wickets remaining. The pair had come together with the score at 39 for 3, with the required rate climbing toward 11, but blasted four sixes and seven fours between them, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to contend with a wet, slippery ball. The game was still not quite safe when the two were dismissed, but Mitchell Santner and Daryl Mitchell saw the visitors home with a 31-run stand that came off 16 balls.

Sri Lanka fined for slow over-rate

Sri Lanka were found to be two overs short of their target during the Pallekele T20I against New Zealand and, in accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, all 11 of their players were fined 40% of their match fees [each over comes with a 20% fine].

New Zealand’s victory was despite Sri Lanka having produced the best individual innings of the evening. Kusal Mendis had earlier struck 79 off 53 balls opening the innings, putting on a 63-run partnership with Niroshan Dickwella for the third wicket in the process. But some dawdling in the middle period, and some excellent bowling from Tim Southee at various stages of the innings, prevented Sri Lanka from posting a really big total.Southee took 2 for 20, and was almost matched by Lasith Malinga, who struck the base of Colin Munro and de Grandhomme’s middle stumps with searing Yorkers on his way to 2 for 23. Had he not flung five wides down the legside at the start of the 19th over, Sri Lanka might have had a chance in the final over. As it happened, New Zealand required only three to win off the 20th.It hadn’t taken long for either de Grandhomme or Taylor to begin finding the boundary. De Grandhomme clubbed his second ball for four past cover, and Taylor found his first four via the sweep – various iterations of the shot going on to prove fruitful for him through the evening – but it wasn’t until the halfway mark in the innings that big blows began to come in quick succession. New Zealand made 17 runs off each of the 11th, 12th and 13th overs, the pair hitting four sixes and two fours through this period, in addition to running well between the wickets.It could have gone wrong, though. Sri Lanka would rue the dropped catch off Taylor on 31 – attempting a third six off Akila Dananjaya, Taylor miscued one to deep midwicket, but Dasun Shanaka could not hold on to a straightforward chance.De Grandhomme was out for 44 off 28 in the 14th over, but Taylor carried on until the 17th, before being trapped lbw by Wanindu Hasaranga after 48 off 29 balls. A six apiece from Santner and Mitchell, plus those five Malinga wides, ensured New Zealand’s dominance at the finish.In Sri Lanka’s innings, Mendis’ opening stand with Kusal Perera had been rapid – 41 runs coming off 4.3 overs – but Avishka Fernando’s inability to find the gaps or the boundary helped sap momentum from the innings, as Mendis himself entered a quieter phase of batting with the spinners in operation. Fernando was eventually dismissed for 10 off 17 – the pair going at just under a run-a-ball through the course of their 28-ball association.Sri Lanka’s run rate recovered during Mendis’ next partnership – Dickwella making 33 off 25, before Southee had Mendis caught superbly at long-on by Martin Guptill. Between them, Shanaka and Isuru Udana hit three sixes in the final over, and seemed to have raised themselves to a competitive score. But their bowlers were rattled by that Taylor-de Grandhomme stand, and the spinners in particular could not find the turn that would have envenomed them, as they struggled to grip a wet ball.New Zealand go 1-0 up in the series. The second match of three is on Tuesday.

The third season of the tournament is set to be played between November 15 to 24

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2019Trevor Bayliss’ hunt for more trophies continues with the former World Cup-winning coach of England unveiled as the man in charge of the Abu Dhabi franchise in the T10 league. He will have a familiar face for company with allrounder Moeen Ali announced as the side’s marquee player at the tournament draft held on Wednesday.The T10 league is into its third season and is set to be played between November 15 to 24. Eight teams will take part in the competition including three that have been newly formed: Team Abu Dhabi, Qalandars, who signed former Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi as their icon player last month, and Bangla Tigers, who picked up 2015 World Cup-winner James Faulkner. He last played for Australia in October 2017.”T10 cricket is big, and it’s bold, but it also requires a certain style of player and capability,” Bayliss said. “It tests players’ tactical talent and skills at the very highest level.”Moeen said: “It’s an impressive list of some of the best T10 players on show in Abu Dhabi. Fans are going to be treated to something quite special, there’s no doubt about it. I would say there’s extra incentive playing for Team Abu Dhabi to show the world what Abu Dhabi T10 cricket is all about.”There is a strong English presence in the T10 league this season with Somerset’s new sensation Tom Banton, often compared to Kevin Pietersen and mentored by Marcus Trescothick, picked up by the Qalandars. Eoin Morgan, who became the first England captain to win a 50-over World Cup, is an icon player with Delhi Bulls (a rebranding of the Bengal Tigers team which took part in the 2018 T10 league) and he will have the assistance of legspinner Adil Rashid, who played a key part of the revolution that culminated with an ICC trophy. Former England head coach Andy Flower is at the helm of the Maratha Arabians franchise, who chose Australia’s T20 specialist Chris Lynn as their icon player.Most short-form tournaments become a hub for West Indian players and this one is no different. Darren Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup winner lines up for Northern Warriors. His team took the trophy home the T10 league last season. West Indies’ current white-ball cricket captain, Kieron Pollard, was picked up by Deccan Gladiators (previously the team called Sindhis) while Marlon Samuels and Evin Lewis will partner former South Africa batsman Hashim Amla and Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane at Karnataka Tuskers.Pakistan also had solid representation with fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who retired from Test cricket to focus on the white-ball formats, finding a place with the Arabians. Allrounders Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hafeez are part of the Qalandars, who have close links with their Pakistan Super League (PSL) namesake Lahore Qalandars. Young fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain and the now retired (from internationals) allrounder Shoaib Malik were picked up by the Bulls.Sri Lanka’s T20 stars such as Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera (Bangla Tigers) and Niroshan Dickwella (Abu Dhabi) will also be a part of this season’s actionThere was no Indian picked up at the draft but the reported that the T10 league is in talks with a very big name. “Yuvraj Singh is almost there,” tournament chairman Shaji Ul Mulk said. “We hope to make an announcement soon. We are in the final stages of negotiations with him.”This season, we are limited by the BCCI’s policy of having only retired India players in leagues outside India.” Harbhajan Singh recently took his name out of consideration from the Hundred for the same reason.The early seasons of the T10 league had issues with corruption. This year they have shifted base from Sharjah to Abu Dhabi and claim that the ICC will be involved in dealing with it.”We have always had a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to corruption.” Shaji Ul Mulk was quoted as saying by the . “The whole monitoring of the tournament has been done by the ICC. We have outsourced anti-corruption and dope testing to the ICC. All key elements are outsourced to the ICC.”

Interim team director Enoch Nkwe and interim director cricket Corrie van Zyl are vying for the roles on a permanent basis

Firdose Moonda25-Oct-2019Faf du Plessis has called on Cricket South Africa (CSA) to finalise the team director and director of cricket positions as quickly as possible in order to allow the national team to put long-term plans in place.South Africa currently have Enoch Nkwe serving as interim team director and Corrie van Zylas interim director of cricket. They picked the squad for the recent tour of India, which ended with a 0-3 Test-match whitewash.”It is is a massive red flag,” du Plessis said upon his return from from leading the team in that series. “An interim coach, interim director – it needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We need to make decisions that influence the team positively, but also from a point of view that you have trust in people coming to work for more than just a month. [At the moment], the coach can’t hire someone for a month because, in two months’ time, someone might decide something completely different. The most important thing right now is clarity and someone needs to make decisions.”Du Plessis’ request comes after CSA announced a massive restructure of the way the men’s team will function. Instead of the traditional head coach and assistant roles, South Africa will now have a team director, who reports to a director of cricket who will oversee all national cricket structures, and will have the freedom to choose his own support staff. A selection convenor will also be appointed.Enoch Nkwe is positive about the road ahead for South African cricket•Getty Images

Van Zyl, who has worked in CSA’s High Performance structures for several years, explained that the positions should be filled soon. “What is happening at the moment is that the director of cricket role has been advertised. Next Thursday, the applications close. The idea is to get that done as soon as possible With that, we also need to get the convener of selection done. The convener of selection was advertised a while ago. That decision will be made shortly by CSA. The two roles will be announced more or less the same time.”While there has been little information about potential candidates for the various jobs on offer, van Zyl confirmed that he intends to apply for the director of cricket role in the coming days. “I haven’t put in my CV for director of cricket, but yes, I am going to.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Linda Zondi, who was removed as convener of selectors after the 2019 World Cup, has applied to get his old job back.Meanwhile, Nkwe, who has been promoted to the team director role after just one season as a franchise head coach, also indicated he is interested in taking on the role permanently. Asked if he thinks he is the right man for the job, Nkwe said, “I believe I am, especially, now that I have had this experience [India tour] and seen what areas need to be addressed. The last two months has helped me as a coach to grow to new levels. I strongly believe I am in the right position to do that.”Corrie van Zyl defended the austerity measures•Getty Images

The results, especially the Test series which South Africa lost 0-3, do not seem to agree with Nkwe but CSA made it plain before the tour that they would not judge him on the outcomes of one tour. At the time, van Zyl said it would be “very unfair”. Instead, he suggested CSA would play the long game and appoint someone who could help the team succeed in both the ODI league which begins in 2020 and leads up to the 2023 World Cup, and the two T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021.With “two ICC events in the subcontinent,” Nkwe understood how important it is for South Africa to find the right personnel, including management. Though he would like to be that person, he gave an assurance that if he isn’t, he will try to contribute in other ways. “I strongly believe I am the right person but that’s not my decision. If I end up not being the person, then I will go back into the [domestic] system, and help improve the system in a different way,” Nkwe said.For now, despite what du Plessis described as a period of uncertainty and which van Zyl acknowledged could have created confusion over the structures, van Zyl and Nkwe are operating as though they are the people that will take South African cricket forward.”The interim roles isn’t the best way we could have done it. But, given the situation after the World Cup, it’s the best we could have done,” van Zyl said. “We need to start planning for the England tour and we need to act as if we are in those positions. If it changes, it changes and we have got no control over that.”

Catch up with the weekend action from the WBBL as the race for the knockouts hots up

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2019Amanda-Jade Wellington bowled a superb Super Over and Sophie Devine’s outstanding tournament continued in a thrilling victory for the Adelaide Strikers over the Sydney Thunder in Hobart. Devine top-scored in the main contest with 88 off 56 balls, taking her top of the run-scoring table, before striking the first ball of the Super Over chase to the boundary to ensure chasing seven to win was not an issue. Wellington, who took 3 for 17, had done superbly to keep the Thunder to six in their over after Sarah Coyte had trapped Nida Dar lbw with the final ball of the initial contest following two last-over boundaries from Rachel Trenaman which left the Thunder needing four off three. The Thunder had been well on track in the chase after an opening stand of 59 in 5.2 overs by Rachel Priest and Naomi Stalenberg but the game changed in the hands of Wellington who remove Priest, Alex Blackwell and Phoebe Litchfield.A masterclass from Australia captain Meg Lanning helped the Perth Scorchers sweep the Sydney Sixers in back-to-back matches at Lilac Hill and all but secure a semi-final berth. Chasing 165, Lanning ripped the game away from the Sixers scoring 81 from 50 balls and shared a 104-run opening stand with Amy Jones in less than 13 overs. She fell with 19 still needed from 15 balls, but Nat Sciver continued her good form making 39 not out from 22 balls to guide the side home with four balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. Earlier, Sciver made the big breakthrough with the ball removing Alyssa Healy with the first ball of the match. Healy top-edged a pull shot back to Sciver who claimed her for the second time in two days. Erin Burns and Ash Gardner both made half-centuries, with Burns batting through the innings to finish on 60 not out. But Dane van Niekerk was the only Sixers batter to strike above 133 in their total of 6 for 164 and there semi-final prospects are in the balance.November 23Sarah Coyte held her nerve in the face of a thrilling onslaught from Chloe Tryon as the Adelaide Strikers clung on for a two-run win against the Hobart Hurricanes to book a place in the semi-finals. The Hurricanes were well behind the rate when Tryon entered in the 14th over but she showed her striking power. She took 20 off the 18th over from Suzie Bates to leave 20 needed off 12 balls, then a six off the last ball of the penultimate over from Amanda-Jade Wellington left 11 needed for the last. That became six off four when Tryon found the boundary again, but Coyte then got the deliveries full and two singles were turned down only for Tryon to run off the penultimate ball leaving Tayla Vlaeminck needing four for a Super Over which proved beyond her. The Strikers’ total looked set to be much higher after an opening stand of 85 between Bates and Sophie Devine, who was dismissed for the first time in 207 deliveries, but they struggled for boundaries in the latter part of the innings. Bates’ 65 off 54 earned her the player of the match.Melbourne Renegades‘ finals hopes took a major blow after the Melbourne Stars claimed just their second win of the season thanks to 62 from Lizelle Lee in a superbly timed run chase in Ballarat. Following the early loss of skipper Elyse Villani, Lee and Mignon du Preez put on 90 to take control of the chase. The pair struck eight fours and four sixes, with du Preez making 41, but their demise in the 14th and 16th over respectively threatened to derail the chase. With 42 still needed from 27 balls, Erin Osborne (34 not out off 15) and Annabel Sutherland (16 off 16) guided the Stars home with four balls to spare. Earlier, former Stars batter Anna Lanning stood tall in her first WBBL game of the season for the Renegades. A late inclusion for the absent Sophie Molineux, Lanning made 73 from 49 balls with eight four and two sixes to help set up the Renegades total of 3 for 165. Jess Duffin made 35 not out from 17 balls in a late flourish after Tammy Beaumont fell for 39 with a couple of overs remaining.The Sydney Sixers fell to back-to-back defeats as the Perth Scorchers jumped ahead of them in the table with a crushing 52-run win to further shake up the battle for semi-final spots. Nat Sciver played a starring role with a half-century to lift the Scorchers to 5 for 152 then claimed the vital wicket of Alyssa Healy in the first over the Sixers’ chase. Without the injured Ellyse Perry at the top of the order the Sixers stumbled to 5 for 35 in the ninth over from where there was no way back. Heather Graham, who had contributed a useful 25 off 14 balls, nipped in with 2 for 17. The teams face each other again in a rematch on Sunday.November 22Amelia Kerr played a key all-round role in the Brisbane Heat’s victory•Getty Images

Defending champions the Brisbane Heat secured their semi-final spot with a seven-run victory over the Hobart Hurricanes. Grace Harris played the key innings with the bat as her 43 off 27 balls put the Heat’s innings back on course after they slipped to 4 for 58 in the 10th over. Amelia Kerr, who contributed an important 21 off 16, then struck vital blows with the ball to halt a promising start to the chase from the Hurricanes who had reached 0 for 52 in the powerplay. Kerr had Erin Fazackerley caught behind, with a juggle, first ball and then added Nicola Carey as Beth Mooney, who had a superb evening with the gloves, pulled off another excellent catch. Chloe Tryon threatened a late heist when she struck three boundaries in the penultimate over but Delissa Kimmince bowled with the third ball of the last as she comfortably defended 16.

England allrounder enjoying the relaxed world of franchise cricket, after missing NZ tour

Barny Read20-Nov-2019Moeen Ali insists he has not put a timeframe on his return to international action with England, despite hints from Joe Root, the Test captain, that his comeback could happen as soon as the South Africa tour next month.Moeen opted out of travelling to New Zealand for the two-Test series which gets underway in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, and has instead been plying his trade on the white-ball franchise circuit – first with a two-match stopover with Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League, and now as captain of Team Abu Dhabi in the T10 League.Speaking on the eve of the first Test, Root had said that England were “very open” to Moeen’s return to action, but admitted that the player himself would need to be in the right frame of mind to resume a Test career that was put on indefinite hold after he was dropped midway through this summer’s Ashes.However, speaking to ESPNcricinfo in Abu Dhabi, Moeen himself said that, after a gruelling few months of high-pressure cricket with England, he was enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere on the franchise circuit, and indicated that his international comeback could even be delayed until next summer’s visits of Pakistan and West Indies.”I want to play at some stage but I haven’t decided when or anything,” Moeen said. “I’ll just take it as it comes. Obviously Leachy [Jack Leach] is in the side and bowling really well, so I’ve also got to get back in the side as well.”It could be South Africa, could be Sri Lanka [in March], it could be just the summer,” he said of his anticipated return. “There’s no sort of timeframe on it. I’ll be speaking to Rooty after the series in New Zealand, and to Chris Silverwood [England coach], and we’ll have a bit more clarity and more idea about it then. But at the moment I’m not thinking about it too much.”Though Moeen’s winter hasn’t exactly been restful, with long-haul flights to South Africa and the UAE and yet more nights away from home, he is adamant that the demands of franchise cricket are far removed from those at the very highest level of the game, and consequently, more players are going to have to decide how they want to prioritise their professional careers.”There is a lot of cricket played around the world, but in the franchise stuff the pressure is not quite the same as international, particularly Test cricket,” he said. “Players will have to pick and choose depending on what they really want to play, and the stages they are at in their careers because playing so much cricket is difficult, with all the travelling and flying.”Franchise cricket is a lot more relaxed,” he added. “Obviously you get the whole day to do what you want, then play in the evening, whereas in international cricket, Test cricket, everyone’s watching, the pressure is on you to go and do well for your country. It is mentally and physically harder than any sort of franchise cricket.”Asked if he would feel any pangs of regret when England take the field against New Zealand on Thursday, Moeen was adamant.”I actually don’t,” he said. “I’d obviously love to be there and playing Test cricket but at the stage I was at, I felt like I needed that time away from Test cricket, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out. Obviously I’m supporting them and I’ve been in contact with the players, but I’m just trying to enjoy my cricket and the franchise stuff.The stint in Abu Dhabi had helped to rejuvenate him, he added. “I really love it, I’m enjoying my batting and captaining here, I’m enjoying that too. It’s different, the pressure’s off almost. It’s a different type of pressure, and it’s nice to get away from that a little bit just to refresh myself.”On the lessons he had learnt from his time in the T10 competition, Moeen said there was plenty that he’d picked up that could help to enhance his T20 game, especially with consecutive T20 World Cups looming in 2020 and 2021.”When you don’t play or you look from the outside, it’s just a slog, but there’s a lot more to it,” he said. “You can’t play it like a T20, the tempo’s faster and the batter’s under the pump from the start. I really like it.”Every dot ball can bring a wicket, pressure builds massively on batters and bowlers, and as a bowler you’re just bowling for survival, really, and you can take that to T20 too.”It will help improve T20 cricket, even though it’s played really well already, but it’s more for the power guys, because there’s no time to knock the ball around. Particularly the Windies guys are bigger and stronger, and on a different level when it comes to hitting sixes.”