Hosts boost hopes of World Cup qualification as champions face longest losing streak since 2014

Alan Gardner31-Jan-2023

Big picture: South Africa aiming for series sweep

The series has been won, but it’s not quite mission accomplished for South Africa, who are a win away from getting up into the top eight of the World Cup Super League. Two clinical performances against the reigning world champions (albeit England’s crown has slipped a fair bit recently) means they are sitting a little more comfortably, with a pair of home fixtures against Netherlands to come, but these are fine margins and something as small as an over-rate penalty could be the difference between securing a direct spot for India later this year or going to the qualifier in Zimbabwe.Reports of South Africa’s demise, in this format at least, have turned out to be exaggerated – they whitewashed India 3-0 at home this time last year, after all. But with Temba Bavuma producing a bravura hundred to inspire a record chase in Bloemfontein, it might even be the case that home supporters start looking forward to the visit of West Indies in a few weeks, rather than pining for the return of the SA20.

Sam Curran fined for Bavuma send-off

Sam Curran has been fined 15 percent of his match fee, following his send-off for Temba Bavuma during the second ODI in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Curran was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct, and has also been handed one demerit point – the first of his career.
He did not contest the charge, which came after he was deemed to have “excessively celebrated towards and in close proximity to the dismissed batter”, after inducing Bavuma to play onto his own stumps during his matchwinning century.

South Africa’s boxfresh new T20 competition will start up again on Thursday, and there have already been hints that the likes of Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada could be rested ahead of flying down to the coast for an evening contest between Durban’s Super Giants and MI Cape Town. But the mood in the camp, under the temporary guidance of Shukri Conrad, certainly seems to have lifted and there is the chance to inflict a rare 3-0 reverse on Jos Buttler’s side.At least, you might peg it as rare, before a quick check confirms England lost their last ODI series, a benighted bit of scheduling post-T20 World Cup in Australia, 3-0 as well. Their record since Buttler was installed as Eoin Morgan’s permanent successor last year currently reads: P11 W2 L8. Even if outwardly the mantra remains positive, and there is time aplenty to formulate plans for the World Cup defence in October-November, it’s hard to think of an instance when a win was more needed since the Morgan revolution began in 2015.Buttler seems as unflappable as his predecessor and barely needs to bother marshalling a defence. The Australia series gets a free pass, since it came days after the captain was being snapped on a Melbourne beachfront holding the T20 World Cup. Here he is without the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood – in part because of injury, in part because of a schedule that means England currently have full men’s squads in both South Africa and New Zealand. Not to mention Ben Stokes, the king over the water whose unretirement bandwagon is already gathering pace.He can also point to the fact that an England side with a little more consistent ODI cricket under their belts would have expected to win both games in Bloemfontein. Kimberley is mining country, the “Big Hole” one of the local tourist attractions – but England have time to dig themselves out of difficulty yet.

Form guide

South Africa WWLLW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
England: LLLLL

In the spotlight: Aiden Markram and Moeen Ali

Since making his ODI debut in October 2017, Aiden Markram has played 45 ODIs while averaging 28.75 – the only other top-four batter to score 1000 runs in that time at a lower average is the now-retired William Porterfield. Markram’s nickname is “Sauce”, apparently because he goes with everything, and there were glimpses of his undoubted talent in a 43-ball 49 in the second ODI, during which he also burgled the wicket of Harry Brook. But time is running out to prove he’s got the special sauce across all three formats for South Africa.You might think that Moeen Ali scoring a dashing half-century, at better than a run a ball, isn’t so noteworthy. But the fact that his belligerent effort in Bloem was his first 50-plus score in an ODI since 2017 is altogether more discombobulating. Moeen has always been a player whose individual moments of brilliance transcend his rather-more-ordinary stats – but batting and bowling averages of 23.13 (strike rate 80.32) and 59.33 since the 2019 World Cup are underwhelming even by his standards. He should be a lock for No. 6 or 7 in the team that goes to India, but a run of form in this format would be timely.

Team news: De Kock likely to miss out

De Kock hurt his hand while keeping during the second ODI and won’t be considered for selection*, with Janneman Malan and Reeza Hendricks – the only two South Africa players to net on Tuesday – waiting in the wings as back-up openers. None of the frontline quicks, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi, bowled at training and South Africa could deploy both spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, depending on conditions.South Africa: (possible) 1 Janneman Malan/Reeza Hendricks, 2 Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Sisanda Magala, 10 Keshav Maharaj, 11 Tabraiz ShamsiPhil Salt enjoys himself at England training•Getty Images

England have Phil Salt available after illness if they want to make changes to the batting and will likely shuffle the bowling attack. Jofra Archer could make his second appearance of the series, having taken 1 for 81 on his long-awaited England comeback last week – and despite being a potential starter for MI Cape Town 24 hours later. Chris Woakes and Reece Topley both endured a pasting in the second ODI, while Olly Stone was England’s best bowler but may be in line for some workload management.England: (possible) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Harry Brook, 5 Jos Buttler (capt & wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 David Willey, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer

Pitch and conditions: Kimberley set to be hot and flat

Kimberley has not hosted an ODI since 2018, when Zimbabwe managed just 117 against an attack spearheaded by Rabada and Ngidi. But a flat surface is expected for this contest and soaring temperatures plus a short boundary suggests another round of 300-plus run-scoring could be in the offing. There have been heavy showers in the lead up but the forecast is clear for Wednesday.

Stats and trivia

• The last time England lost five ODIs in a row came at home during series against Sri Lanka and India in 2014. They have not lost six on the bounce since 2009.
• South Africa are aiming for their first ODI series whitewash against England.
• England have only played one previous ODI in Kimberley – an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in 2000.
• Wayne Parnell needs two wickets to reach 100 in ODIs. He will be the 13th South Africa to reach the milestone.

Quotes

“We’re here to win, we want to win the series 3-0. It’s really important to be putting the right people on the park but our squad is incredibly strong, we’re always producing great cricketers in South Africa. Whoever does play I have no doubt that we’re going to have a full-strength team. To be nice and clinical would be the cherry on top.”
“We haven’t played our greatest cricket. We’ve not had the all-round performance that we want but there’s some positives to take forward. Hopefully we can win the final game and finish the series on a positive note.”
Olly Stone attempts to rally the troops*February 1, 0930 GMT – This story was updated with news of de Kock’s absence

Rest of India set MP 437 to win, with the 2021-22 Ranji champs another 356 away with eight wickets in hand on final day

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2023Yashasvi Jaiswal followed up his double-century in the first innings with 144 in the second as Rest of India had one hand on the Irani Cup at the end of day four in Gwalior. Chasing a tall 437, Madhya Pradesh lost two wickets late in the day, but captain Himanshu Mantri remained unbeaten on 51 to give his side some hope despite the huge target.Resuming their day ahead by 275 runs, Rest of India lost six wickets in the opening session but still managed to swell the lead to 391. With variable bounce on display, the MP bowlers stuck to a wicket-to-wicket line and reaped rewards.Avesh Khan struck first, cleaning Abhimanyu Easwaran up with a short-of-a-length ball that kept low and snuck below his bat to hit the stumps. In his next over, Avesh pinned Baba Indrajith plumb in front. Ankit Kushwah then got a wicket two balls later, sending Yash Dhull back for a first-ball duck before trapping Upendra Yadav lbw soon after.Jaiswal, meanwhile, carried on merrily, smashing boundaries at will. He struck three fours in Saransh Jain’s ninth over, the third getting him to his century off just 103 balls with 13 fours and a six until then.A misjudgment in the calling brought about Atit Sheth’s wicket who was run-out for 30, before Saurabh Kumar was dismissed leg before wicket by Jain. Rest of India went into lunch seven wickets down, but managed to score 116 runs in the session.Jaiswal hacked Avesh for a six over deep midwicket after the break, as it helped the lead inch past 400. The left-hander was bowled by Jain, but not before smashing 357 runs in the match, the most by a batter in the history of the Irani Cup. Shubham Sharma wrapped the innings up with his part-time offspin, removing Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar off successive balls.Mukesh then gave Rest of India the perfect start in their defense, trapping Arham Aquil in front of the stumps second ball, as Aquil bagged a pair on first-class debut. Shubham and Mantri then added 51 for the second wicket before the former was done in by a Saurabh arm ball that caught the batter playing down the wrong line. But Mantri notched up his half-century, and will have to dig deep to force a result for his side on the final day.

Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues said the WPL would be a “blessing in disguise” for the India players following the World Cup semi-final exit

Vishal Dikshit02-Mar-2023India have come agonisingly close to beating world champions Australia in two thrilling knockout games in the last seven months and captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes a tournament like WPL will help bridge the gap between the two teams in the future. India lost out on a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games last year when they fell nine runs short against Australia in the final and recently lost the semi-final of the T20 World Cup against them in close fashion. Harmanpreet was India’s top scorer and took them close with attacking knocks in both games, but the lower order couldn’t close out the chases.Those two losses were, however, much more promising for Indian cricket than the 85-run thrashing India received from the same opponents in the 2020 T20 World Cup final at the MCG.Related

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“I think this is a great platform for all Indian players because we have been missing this tournament for a long time,” Harmanpreet said of the WPL during a virtual press conference on Thursday. “Definitely for Australia and England the WBBL and Hundred have worked very well and after those tournaments they’ve got so much young talent. After the WPL we are also going to get some good talent and I’m sure the difference you’re talking about [between India and Australia sides] we’d love to cut down. When you see good talent coming up, you’re definitely going to make a good team after the WPL.”While chasing 162 at the CWG final in Birmingham, Harmanpreet led India’s charge with a quick fifty and they needed 44 from 30 balls with seven wickets in hand. But India slipped when Harmanpreet and Pooja Vastrakar got out on consecutive deliveries and couldn’t score 11 from the last over. In the World Cup semi-final last month, Harmanpreet again led India’s chase in counterattacking fashion after they were 28 for 3 in pursuit of 173. India needed to score a more comfortable 41 off 34 this time with six wickets in hand but Harmanpreet’s run-out when her bat got stuck just before the crease while completing a second run derailed India again.Delhi Capitals players Aparna Mondal, Alice Capsey, Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues and Arundhati Reddy•AFP via Getty Images

Jemimah Rodrigues: World Cup loss still haunting us

Jemimah Rodrigues played second fiddle to her captain in both those losses; her run-a-ball 33 was part of a third-wicket stand of 96 off 71 balls in the CWG final, and a more attacking 43 off 24 was crucial in a partnership of 69 off 41 with the captain in the World Cup semi-final.Soon after being named the Delhi Capitals vice-captain on Thursday afternoon in Mumbai, Rodrigues said the semi-final loss still lingered in her and her team-mates’ minds a week after the game. Rodrigues said having the WPL soon after the World Cup would be a “blessing in disguise” for the India players.”It’s not been easy after losing the semi-finals, a few days were really tough for all of us,” she said. “It took us a while to get out of it, we’ve still not gotten out of it. The WPL is like a blessing in disguise because it’s going to help us get involved and get busy in preparing for this that it’ll help us take our mind off the World Cup. But yes, those thoughts will keep haunting us.”Rodrigues also feels the WPL will help unearth promising Indian players who will make a difference in the future. “We have been pushing the doors for a very long time, we are getting there, we are getting very close. But I am sure the WPL will change a lot for women’s cricket. You will find many superstars coming out from it, many leaders, or many match-winners, I would say.”

Heath, Tryon make fifties before Levick four-four seals 105-run win

ECB Reporters Network22-Apr-2023Northern Diamonds 290 for 8 (Winfield-Hill 75, Heath 71, Tryon 63) beat Western Storm 185 (Levick 4-36) by 105 runsNorthern Diamonds began their defence of the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy with an emphatic 105-run victory against Western Storm at Headingley.Half-centuries from Lauren Winfield-Hill (75), Bess Heath (71) and South African debutant Chloe Tryon (63) took Diamonds to a commanding total of 290 for eight off a rain-reduced 37 overs before leg spinner Katie Levick claimed 4 for 36, including her 300th career wicket, as Storm fell well short of the target.After rain fell throughout the morning, the players finally took to the field at 1pm and Storm’s hopes were immediately raised when Lauren Filer bowled Sterre Kalis for one in the second over. When Filer followed up with the wicket of Diamonds skipper Hollie Armitage, also bowled for one, the hosts were 33 for 2 and looking in trouble on a damp, green pitch.Winfield-Hill was at her pugnacious best however and quickly counter attacked to take the score to 71 when a mix up with Phoebe Turner led to the latter’s ran out for three.If the visitors thought they were back in the game what followed was a brutal statement of intent from England hopeful Heath who proceeded to smash Storm’s bowlers around Headingley as she bludgeoned 71 from 38 balls including nine fours and three sixes in a fourth wicket partnership of 109 off just 67 balls with Winfield-Hill.When Heath was caught behind by off Chloe Skelton the score was 180 for 4 and the stage was set for another superb knock as Winfield-Hill was joined by Tryon. The former’s departure for 75, bowled by Alex Griffiths, left the South African with some work to do, but she marshalled the tail superbly to be last out for 63 off 36 balls in a Diamonds total of 290 for 8.Storm got off to a terrible start losing both openers inside the first two overs as Griffiths (0) and Emma Corney (2) were bowled by Jessica Woolston and Lizzie Scott respectively.Sophie Luff and Fran Wilson staged a good recovery as they took the visitors to 97 before both were dismissed in successive overs with Storm never looking likely to make it a contest after that.Levick, who earlier had Luff stumped for 33, took another when she trapped Gibson in front for 17 to claim her 299th career wicket before Niamh Holland was run out for six.Levick’s 300th came soon after with the stumping of Wraith and she was quickly celebrating her 301st when Sophia Smale was lbw for 0.Scott returned to bowl Filer before Tyron took a stunning catch off Abi Glen off Skelton to wrap the Western Storm innings up for 185.

Richard Thompson predicts “a long and successful future” for the competition

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-2023The Hundred is going nowhere before the end of 2028 and has “a long and successful future well beyond that”, according to the ECB’s chair.Several outlets reported last month that Richard Gould and Richard Thompson – the ECB’s chief executive and chair respectively, who previously held the same roles at Surrey – were discussing options to adjust the format of the eight-team, 100-ball competition, or even to scrap it altogether.But, in an interview in the June edition of the magazine, Thompson said that there had been “an awful lot of misreporting” on the tournament’s future, emphasising that it is part of the ECB’s lucrative broadcast deal with Sky Sports which runs until the end of 2028.”We’re signed up with the Hundred until 2028 and there’s been an awful lot of misreporting around that,” Thompson said. “The reality is that the Hundred exists with Sky until 2028 and I’m sure it has a long and successful future well beyond that.”Related

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The ECB announced this week that Sanjay Patel, the Hundred’s managing director, would step down from his role at the end of this summer’s edition. In the announcement, Gould also predicted a “very long and successful future for the Hundred”.A report by Fanos Hira, the Worcestershire chair, earlier this year suggested that the Hundred had made a £9 million loss to date, figures which the ECB disputes. Thompson said: “It’s a historical report looking at the income and cost base of the ECB. And it [the Hundred] will help us across the game.”It depends how you attribute those costs,” he added. “Especially the £1.3m that each county receives a year [which is directly linked to the Hundred]. The game has invested a significant amount of money into the Hundred to ensure that it finds a new audience, which it has done. But the reality is it’s an investment in the future.”The prospect of private investment in the Hundred has also been regularly mooted over the last two years. “We’re only in year three of a very new tournament,” Thompson said on the subject. “And the game has got to make that decision. That’s not an ECB decision.”The Hundred takes place in a standalone window from August 1-27 in 2023, the first time that it has not clashed with any England men’s or women’s international cricket. As a result, the final Test of the English summer is due to finish on July 31 – a situation that Thompson said “absolutely will not” happen again.”It doesn’t feel right, does it? Finishing the Test season in July means the whole season feels truncated,” he said. “My understanding of the decision was they felt there are a significant amount of white-ball internationals playing through September.”And the idea behind that was to give us the best possible chance of defending the 50-over World Cup which starts in October. But certainly, you don’t want a situation where you’re playing just one format or one tournament in the way we are at the moment… the Test summer absolutely will not be squeezed like this in future.”

On a rain-hit day, West extend lead to 384 despite Saurabh and Jain strikes, while South need 194 runs to beat North

Himanshu Agrawal07-Jul-2023Cheteshwar Pujara hit his 60th first-class century to leave West Zone in a dominating position on the third day of their Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone in Alur. Rain stopped play immediately after he was run-out for 133, with West ending on 292 for 9 – thus, 384 ahead of Central – even as no play was possible after that stoppage.Pujara added crucial partnerships with the middle and lower orders after West were 150 for 4 at one stage, when Saurabh Kumar dismissed Sarfaraz Khan for 6. He shared important stands of 47, 32, 21 and 26 for the fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth wickets, respectively, as the defending champions took one step towards the final. Pujara picked up pace towards the latter stage of his innings after initially taking his time to build his innings, going for his shots with the tail for company.However, Central’s spinners Saurabh and Saransh Jain kept a lid at the other end, sharing seven of the nine wickets to fall between them. In fact, all six wickets went to the duo on the third day, with Saurabh finishing with 4 for 79, and Jain with 3 for 56. After Saurabh had struck first to remove the overnight batter Sarfaraz, Jain grabbed the next three wickets to keep West in check before Saurabh got Chintan Gaja.That continued a sensational Duleep Trophy for Saurabh, who leads the wicket-taking charts with 16. However, his batting team-mates might have to deliver something special even if West were to declare at this stage and set Central 385 to win. And they will be especially wary during the chase after having folded for 128 in the first innings.R Sai Kishore celebrates a wicket with his South Zone team-mates•PTI

Rain spoiled the party in nearby Bengaluru too, leaving the match between South Zone and North Zone tantalisingly poised ahead of the final day’s play. Inclement weather interrupted play after South were 21 without loss in their chase of 215, first forcing an early tea break and then complete abandonment of the evening session. But before that, Vijaykumar Vyshak’s 5 for 76 helped South restrict North to 211 in the second innings, after they were three runs ahead in the first.Vyshak led the way, picking up four of the last seven wickets to fall, as North slid from a comfortable position of 146 for 3. The collapse began when Prabhsimran Singh, on 63, found the fielder at deep square leg while trying to pull a short ball from Vyshak in the 37th over. Two overs later, Sai Kishore dismissed Ankit Kumar, while Vyshak struck twice in the 46th: he first had Jayant Yadav inside edging on to his stumps, and then Pulkit Narang slashing one to slip.Vyshak’s fifth came when Ricky Bhui held on to a good, low catch down the leg side to send Nishant Sindhu back, even as Sai Kishore helped clean the tail up with the last two wickets to fall.Earlier, Prabhsimran played an enterprising knock which contained 11 fours, although North needed help from No. 9 Harshit Rana to boost their score. Rana smashed 38 at better than a run a ball, setting the game up for a final day which could see more rain breaks.

Graham Clark chimes in with 72 as visitors post their record List A total of 427 for 9

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2023Memorable hitting from Alex Lees, David Bedingham and Graham Clark propelled Durham to a record List A total of 427 for 9 at Hove, setting up a crushing 132-run win against shell-shocked Sussex Sharks – later bowled out for 295 – in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.A good-sized crowd of more than 2,000 saw Durham captain and former England Test opener Lees score a magnificent career-best 144, from 107 balls and featuring 19 fours.But as impressive as Lees was, the truly spectacular strokeplay came from Bedingham, who struck seven sixes and six fours in a runaway 102 from just 54 balls, and Clark, whose 58-ball 72 included three sixes and seven fours.Bedingham and Lees blitzed 194 for the second wicket in only 19 overs after Clark and Lees had opened up with 135 in the first 17 overs following Durham’s decision to bat.Only Tom Haines, with 65 from 56 balls, put up any sort of challenge to Durham’s massive score as Tom Alsop was bowled in the second over of Sussex’s reply and returning Indian Test star Cheteshwar Pujara disappointingly slapped a return catch to off-spinner George Drissell.James Coles also pulled a long hop from Liam Trevaskis to midwicket to go for 12 and Haines edged Jonathan Bushnell’s medium pace behind to leave the Sharks 113 for 4 in the 19th over. From there it was only a matter of time before Durham completed victory, although Fynn Hudson-Prentice had some lower-order fun with two sixes and eight fours of his own in a 34-ball 65 and Henry Crocombe helped himself to a career-high 47 before being last man out.Lees struck a remarkable six fours in one seven-ball Crocombe over, which included a no ball and cost the young paceman 26 runs, while off-spinner Jack Carson’s first three overs were plundered for 41. To both Sussex bowlers’ credit, they stuck to their thankless tasks on a belting batting pitch to finish with 3 for 81 and 4 for 83 respectively.Bedingham struck left-arm quick Bradley Currie for three sixes in an over, and two straight sixes off successive balls from slow left-armer Coles. His first six, perhaps the biggest hit of the lot, was hoisted off Carson, and he also swung Haines’ medium pace high over the same hospitality boxes.Clark, who took two legside sixes off Hudson-Prentice’s seam-up and a glorious extra cover four besides, began the carnage by flipping Steven Finn over the long leg ropes in the former England fast bowler’s fourth over with the new ball, which also contained three legside wides. Finn later left the field, despite some boundary-edge treatment, and also did not bat.There were 12 sixes and 37 fours in Durham’s imposing total, which comfortably eclipsed their previous List A best of 405 for 4, made against Kent at Beckenham in 2021.At one stage, when the Lees-Bedingham stand was at its height, it looked as if Durham would make 500, let alone top 400. Indeed, at the 35-over mark they were 320 for 1 but Lees fell in the next over to spark a collapse – if it could be called that – of six wickets for 19 runs in 4.3 overs.However, Bushnell and Michael Jones then added a sensibly-paced 65 in eight overs for the eighth wicket, and Durham’s score easily passed 400 in the end.Jones drove Crocombe straight for six in a 29-ball 38 before falling to a catch in the deep off the same bowler in the penultimate over. Drissell managed one neatly cut four in a brief stay and Bushnell remained unbeaten on 37, from 31 balls.Earlier, Crocombe had Clark caught at deep square leg and later added the wickets of Bedingham, taken at long off in the 37th over, while Carson sent back Lees, leg-before sweeping, Migael Pretorius, Ben McKinney and Trevaskis in quick succession.When Hudson-Prentice bowled Paul Coughlin, at the start of the 41st over, Durham were suddenly 348 for seven but the Jones-Bushnell partnership ensured a record-breaking total was reached.

PCB chairman says cricket committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq will be part of the process to decide whether changes are needed

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2023PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that “no concrete decisions” have been taken regarding the composition of Pakistan’s coaching and management staff, addressing speculation over whether there would be changes made under the new PCB administration.In an interview with Cricket Pakistan, Ashraf said the decision would be made on the recommendation of a newly-formed cricket committee headed by former captain and national coach Misbah-ul-Haq.”I don’t think it matters whether coaches are local or foreign,” Ashraf said. “There’s no concrete decision on whether to change coaches as of now. I’ve created a committee headed by Misbah-ul-Haq. That committee will look at all cricketing matters and will consult any cricketers they want to be a part of it. When they give us their final analysis, I’ll get involved in the discussion and we’ll make a joint decision that is in the best interests of Pakistan cricket.”It is the first time there has been any official communication from the PCB about the fate of the Pakistan men’s coaches since the recent tour of Sri Lanka, where Pakistan won the Test series 2-0. Over the past week, ESPNcricinfo understands there were robust internal discussions on the fate of the coaches and team manager, with some reports suggesting an immediate change was inevitable.Mickey Arthur was appointed Pakistan team director in April, with Grant Bradburn, who previously served as Pakistan’s fielding coach, becoming head coach the following month. Rehan-ul-Haq, who was general manager of Islamabad United for all eight seasons in the Pakistan Super League, was appointed team manager of the national side. Each of those appointments took place during Najam Sethi’s interim six-month stint as PCB chairman.While the committee is yet to formally convene, Misbah has in the past made clear his disapproval of some of the coaching arrangements. He called the PCB’s pursuit of Arthur under Sethi “a slap on Pakistan cricket”, and had replaced Arthur as Pakistan head coach in 2019.The simmering unrest comes ahead of a busy time for the Pakistan side, who return to Sri Lanka to play a three-ODI series against Afghanistan, before co-hosting the Asia Cup. They are then set to travel to India for the World Cup. The PCB has repeatedly said travel to India for the World Cup will be contingent on government approval and mutual agreement on appropriate venues, a point Ashraf repeated in this interview.

Meanwhile, Former Australia Test paceman Peter Siddle leaves Strikers to join Renegades while Queensland quick Mark Steketee moves from Heat to Stars

Alex Malcolm01-Sep-2023West Indies left-hander Nicholas Pooran and Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have both withdrawn from the BBL draft while South African Dane van Niekerk is out of the WBBL due to the fractured right thumb she suffered during the recent women’s Hundred.Pooran and Rizwan were set to be platinum picks in the BBL draft and Pooran was potentially going to be a sort-after option given he was likely to be available up until finals before heading to the ILT20. But his West Indies white-ball commitments in December against England may have affected his early availability and he has withdrawn from the tournament.Rizwan was always going to have availability issues given his commitments with Pakistan as they are playing three Tests against Australia in Australia across the first month of the six-week-long BBL.Related

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• Rauf, Pooran, Harmanpreet and Kapp among platinum nominations

Van Niekerk did not play in the WBBL last year but has previously played for Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers. But her fractured thumb means she is unavailable for the tournament.Meanwhile, former Australia fast bowler Peter Siddle has returned to Melbourne Renegades after six seasons at Adelaide Strikers where he captained Strikers 27 times. Siddle, who will be 39 by the time the BBL starts, previously played seven games at Renegades from 2013-15 while he was a mainstay in Australia’s Test attack.Renegades have become one of the oldest lists in BBL history with Siddle joining Nathan Lyon (35) as a new signing. Renegades already have three players over 35 – Shaun Marsh (40), Aaron Finch (36) and Jon Wells (35).”We’ve made a concerted effort to add more experience to our playing list this off-season, so to welcome ‘Sidds’ back to the Renegades, alongside the additions of Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon is a fantastic result,” Melbourne Renegades General Manager James Rosengarten said.”Sidds is well respected not just for his contributions with the ball over a long period of time, but for his leadership, tactical awareness and broader knowledge of players and the T20 landscape.”He has plenty of existing relationships within our playing group and we know he will be an important contributor for us not only on the field but with all the other attributes he brings that help build successful teams.”Peter Siddle returns to Renegades where he started his BBL career•Getty Images

Siddle was thrilled to be back in Melbourne having also moved back to Victoria in domestic cricket after three seasons with Tasmania.”I’m excited to be returning to where my Big Bash journey started and to be back in red this year,” Siddle said.”I’ve loved my time in Adelaide over the last six seasons. But it’s time for a new challenge, and I’m looking forward to reuniting with some good mates of mine at the Renegades.”Looking at the playing list that’s being assembled, there’s no reason we can’t challenge for the title this year.Elsewhere, Queensland and Australia A fast bowler Mark Steketee has signed with Melbourne Stars in the BBL after 10 seasons with Brisbane Heat. Steketee had been a mainstay in all formats for Queensland and Heat earlier in his career but only played eight games in each of the last two BBL seasons. The emergence of Spencer Johnson and Xavier Bartlett forced him out of the Heat side last season and he did not play in their finals campaign.He instead joins the Stars to bolster their bowling stocks alongside the off-season signings of Scott Boland and Joel Paris.”We identified Mark as a target to further strengthen our fast-bowling stocks and we can’t wait to see what he can do at the MCG,” Melbourne Stars General Manager Blair Crouch said.”He has been a consistent wicket-taker in the BBL over a number of years now and he’ll bring a lot of valuable experience and cricket IQ to the group.”

Pakistan struggled to score on a slow surface and ended up with an under-par score in the semi-final

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2023Sri Lanka outplayed Pakistan on a slow and sticky surface in Hangzhou to advance to the final of the Asian Games. Chasing a small target of 76, Sri Lanka took the game till 17 overs to set up the gold-medal contest with India – who beat Bangladesh in a low-scoring, one-sided contest earlier in the day – on Monday.Opting to field first in the second semi-final, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were all over Pakistan’s batters from the beginning. They were restricted to 75 for 9 in 20 overs with right-arm medium pacer Udeshika Prabodhani starring with three wickets and young offspinner Kavisha Dilhari picking up two wickets. Inoshi Priyadharshani, Achini Kulasuriya and Inoka Ranaweera took a wicket apiece to blunt Pakistan. That only three batters crossed double digits showed how Nida Dar’s side struggled to score.On the other hand, Sri Lanka got off to a decent start with Chamari Athapaththu using sweep shots to negate the spinners’ turn. After scoring two boundaries, she mistimed a slog sweep to hole out on 14 off 19 balls. Opener Anushka Sanjeewani also fell inside the powerplay for a 13-ball 15 but Harshitha Samarawickrama at one-drop stitched a 35-run stand in 51 deliveries with Nilakshi de Silva for the third wicket to ensure Sri Lanka didn’t lose wickets in a flurry. Samarawickrama, despite consuming 41 balls, played a crucial knock of 23 while de Silva’s unbeaten 18 saw Sri Lanka chasing down the target with 21 balls to spare and six wickets in hand.Sadia Iqbal, Daina Baig and Umm-e-Hani were among the wickets for Pakistan, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sri Lanka from advancing to the final. They will face Bangladesh for a third-place play-off on Monday.