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Debutant feels ‘bloody brilliant’ after starring alongside former school captain

Valkerie Baynes28-Jun-2022″Bloody brilliant” is how it feels to score a century on your Test debut, in case you were wondering. Just ask Alice Davidson-Richards.One of four players in the England XI making her Test debut, Davidson-Richards, a 28-year-old allrounder, scored 107 and shared a 207-run stand for the sixth wicket with Nat Sciver, which was poignant for many reasons.Sciver, nearly two years her senior, captained Davidson-Richards in their school cricket team at Epsom College, where they also played hockey and netball together before they joined the England set-up and shared car journeys to training.”It means quite a lot having Nat there,” Davidson-Richards said as the pair faced the media after rescuing their side from 121 for 5 and securing a 44-run lead on the second day of the Test with South Africa in Taunton, Sciver still unbeaten on 119 at the close.”When we started driving up to Loughborough together however many years ago, to being out there playing a Test match together is really, really special.”But then their international careers diverged. Davidson-Richards played one ODI and five T20Is, all in 2018, and that was that until her recall for this match. Sciver, meanwhile, is playing her eighth Test and has 180 white-ball internationals to her name, including a pivotal role in England’s World Cup campaign earlier this year when they finished runners-up.Asked whether she thought her international career had been over, Davidson-Richards said: “I don’t think completely.””I’ve always had like a deep-rooted faith in how good I could be and it was just knowing how to get there,” she added. “And everything that’s happened before has allowed me to get to here so I’m absolutely fine with everything that’s happened before, to be the player that I am now and the person I am now.Related

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“It stopped being at the forefront of my mind and ended up being, if I can be the best player I can be for the South East Stars and doing it that way, then everything else on top of that is a plus.”Davidson-Richards has also stuck around long enough to be part of England’s newly professionalised domestic structure. She is one of South East Stars’ six contracted players and plays for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred.She has also made a mental shift that has proven invaluable.”I’m a lot nicer to myself to be honest,” said Davidson-Richards, who took also took a wicket in South Africa’s innings. “I put a lot less on myself doing well all the time.”It’s a more well-rounded approach: ‘How can I help the team?’ Rather than, ‘have I done well, or not done well?’ And I think that’s something that really brings out the best in me and that enjoyment side as well is a big factor for me.””Some of it’s just getting old, not that 28 is old, but I’ve been told that I’m old a few times,” she laughed as Sciver rolled her eyes in jest. “So I think it’s a little bit of that. I’ve definitely talked to some of the coaches back at home and not necessarily a sports psych but I just talk to friends, people, who have helped me on through.”Davidson-Richards saw Sciver to her fifty while facing 45 balls for her first nine runs. But she ended up unleashing 17 fours on the way to her 107 which ended on what turned out to be the last ball of the day when she sent a Tumi Sekhukhune delivery to Lizelle Lee at backward point.Sciver, meanwhile, rated her maiden Test century as “definitely up there” with her five ODI hundreds, including two unbeaten centuries against Australia at the World Cup in April, one of those in the final as England finished runners-up.”For it to be in a Test match is really very special – a format we don’t get to play much of but one that I love so I’m really happy,” Sciver said.It also sweetened her involvement in Heather Knight’s run out for just 8 on the first ball after lunch. Knight’s dive was in vain after Sciver worked Nadine de Klerk towards square leg and called for a single but then the slightest of hesitations mid-run from both of them found Knight short of her ground as Sekhukhune fired the ball to wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta.”I was feeling very guilty,” Sciver said. “It was a bit of hesitation from everyone. I did say, ‘yes’. But she has forgiven me, apparently,” she added with a smile. “If I didn’t get to a hundred, maybe she wouldn’t have forgiven me.”

Record Wantage Road crowd enjoy Zaib’s maiden List A hundred as Essex are beaten in tight chase

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2022Northamptonshire’s Saif Zaib treated a record Royal London Cup crowd at Wantage Road to a commanding 136, as Northamptonshire pulled off their highest ever run chase in one-day cricket to beat Essex in a thrilling 50-over clash.It was a maiden List A century for Zaib, who was forced to retire hurt on 129 after diving for a second run with Northamptonshire still needing 110. But he returned later to record his highest score in all forms of first team cricket before Tom Sales and Nathan Buck saw their side home by three wickets with two balls to spare.Zaib had combined with captain Will Young in a stand worth 212 in 27.1 overs to set Northamptonshire on their way. Zaib was in aggressive form throughout, hitting boundaries all around the wicket, finishing with 14 fours and four sixes.Related

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• Prest's stunning 181 propels Hampshire to club-record List A total

Essex’s total of 343 for nine was set up by a sparkling century from Feroze Khushi who shared a partnership worth 169 in 23.4 overs with his captain Tom Westley (67). It was his second List A hundred since making 109 against Durham on 50-over debut last summer. But hopes of capitalising on that start were dashed by Buck who took three wickets in the space of just seven balls to finish with career-best figures of 5 for 59.Essex had lost a wicket in the second over when Josh Rymell chopped on to Buck. Khushi though showed immediate intent, stroking consecutive boundaries off Buck and hooking him for six before greeting a loosener from Tom Taylor with disdain, smashing it square for four. He was equally adept against the slower bowlers Alex Russell and Zaib, firing the ball down the ground and playing a delicate cut to the ropes.He had some moments of luck, earning a reprieve on 43 when he was caught hooking a Taylor no-ball. Later, one delivery after hitting Zaib for a big six over deep midwicket, he was caught in the deep by Ricardo Vasconcelos who threw the ball back in just before he stepped over the ropes. Then on 86, he was dropped at long-on off Zaib but dispatched the next delivery over the bowler’s head for six to move into the nineties.Westley meanwhile kept up the rate at the other end, scoring at a run a ball, stroking the ball sweetly around the park, hitting eight boundaries before he fell to a brilliant diving catch by Will Young at short cover off Russell..Grant Roelofsen (16) played a few aggressive shots but departed when he picked out Vasconcelos on the deep square leg boundary to give Russell a second wicket.Khushi’s stay finally ended when he swung Taylor to Young at deep midwicket.In total He hit 12 boundaries and three maximums off just 93 balls.Robin Das got off the mark by hooking Tom Taylor for four to bring up Essex’s 200 in the 30th over and took consecutive boundaries against Zaib. But on the verge of a half century, he smacked Jack White straight to Young at short cover for a well-made 47.Buck’s spell though was telling. He bowled Will Buttleman and picked up Aaron Beard and Aron Nijjar, both to catches, in quick succession before celebrating his maiden List A five-wicket haul when Shane Snater was caught on the boundary.Feroze Khushi swings over the leg side•Getty Images

Northamptonshire lost two early wickets in the chase against a tight opening burst from Beard and Jamie Porter. Emilio Gay was caught off a leading edge, the first of two early wckets for Beard who also got one to nip back and bowl Vasconcelos (11).Young and Zaib began the process of rebuilding, the captain pulling Porter for four while Zaib steered Beard took two boundaries behind square in the same over.Northamptonshire ended the powerplay on 58 for 2, 13 behind Essex at the same stage, but soon started to make up lost ground. Young, dropped by keeper Buttleman on 27, stroked the seamers around the ground, but reserved his biggest shot for slow left-armer Nijjar when he swung an enormous six over deep midwicket and moved to his half-century off 51 balls.Zaib meanwhile swung Porter through midwicket.and smacked Nijjar ferociously through the covers for another boundary, moving to his half century off 47 balls. He greeted Jamal Richards by hooking him high over backward square leg for six followed by an off-side four to bring up Northamptonshire’s 150 in the 23rd over.He reached three figures off just 79 deliveries and showed no signs of slowing down, hitting a Beard delivery out of the ground over deep extra cover.Young finally fell lbw to Nijjar, one ball after hitting him for six and Northamptonshire quickly lost a second when new batter Rob Keogh was adjudged lbw to Snater.With Zaib still there and Northamptonshire well ahead of the run rate, there still seemed little cause for panic until Zaib went down after diving for a second run.Keeper Lewis McManus (28) though held his nerve, hitting Nijjar down the ground for six and combining in a 54-run stand with Taylor (27). When both fell, Zaib returned to the crease to a huge ovation and dispatched Snater down the ground for six.When he was out caught off Richards, Northamptonshire needed 26 off the last two overs. Snater gifted two no balls before James Sales struck consecutive boundaries and ran a three. Buck hit down the ground for six and played a deft cut down to third to leave Northamptonshire needing just three runs off the final over.

Williamson laments his team’s “soft” cricket as they saw another strong position slip away

Andrew McGlashan08-Sep-2022Adam Zampa shifted all the praise onto Australia’s pace bowlers for the pressure they applied in the second ODI, labelling his delivery to remove Kane Williamson “c***”, with the New Zealand captain left to lament his team’s “soft” cricket as they saw another strong position slip away.Australia were 117 for 8 before the last two wickets added 78, with Zampa playing an important role. New Zealand’s top order was then rendered virtually scoreless. They were left 14 for 3 after ten overs by the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott – the latter bowling 28 dot balls, and taking two wickets, on his comeback before conceding a run.Zampa, who claimed his first wicket with a big full toss that Williamson missed, was especially delighted for Abbott. Zampa himself finished with a career-best 5 for 35 but reflected that he felt “a little bit off”.”To be honest, I haven’t seen a run [economy] rate like that in an ODI probably ever,” Zampa said. “Our guys showed some serious discipline. I mean Hazlewood and Starc were both excellent, but in particular Sean Abbott, who has been in and out of the team. Think over five, six, seven years, he has played five or six games. So to take his opportunity now – it’s tough when you are sitting on the pine [being left out] for four or five games, sometimes having only one opportunity to make your mark, it can get the better of you. But he bowled outstandingly today and super proud of Sean.”I bowled terribly. Well, I wouldn’t say terribly…but was one of those days where I felt a little bit off, probably wasn’t quite at my best but there was a lot happening. Sometimes when it’s like that and you are bowling to the tail you can go searching for wickets, which I did, [but] probably felt like we were in position to go searching for some wickets tonight. I think I reaped the rewards of the guys who bowled before me.”I had a bit of luck with the Kane dismissal, then got into my work a bit better from there. They say legspinners can bowl a bit of c*** and get wickets. When that c*** comes out and you see it go down, you start walking back to your mark knowing you’ve got an extra six runs against your name. But that happens.”Williamson, who threw his head back in anguish after missing the full toss and called for a review purely out of hope, said New Zealand’s batting needed to be better at adapting to the conditions – which he termed “very slow and hard to get rhythm” – something they had done successfully on the tour of the West Indies last month where they came from 1-0 down to take the series.”No doubt the conditions are tough but we have to be a little bit smarter,” Williamson said. “Today I thought we were too soft in terms of our dismissals, we did need to try and weather the storm a bit. It was going to be a challenge, but if you could try and stick together. There wasn’t a lot of scoreboard pressure so you try to reverse that momentum later in the game and get through the tough spells.”The new ball was quite challenging and Australia were just outstanding with the lengths they are able to hit, the pressure they built, and they got some early wickets as well. It is almost old-school one-day cricket where you are just trying to get through spells. As we saw, Australia were able to get two partnerships that were able to get them a competitive total, so certainly some lessons to learn.”However, he insisted that New Zealand did not have a psychological barrier to get over as they tried to beat Australia on their soil for the first time since 2011. “It’s cricket, they are a very good side, they’ve played well and adapted to conditions,” he said. “[But] we do need to be better than we were tonight.”The final ODI takes place on Sunday and the two teams will meet again in their opening match of the T20 World Cup at the SCG in October.

Anderson, Broad call for common sense to prevail after openers motor towards victory target

Andrew Miller11-Sep-2022James Anderson and Stuart Broad admitted to a mixture of frustration and sympathy for the umpires at the close of another captivating day’s play in the third and final Test against South Africa, after a capacity crowd was denied the prospect of witnessing an England victory march by the onset of bad light.After being set a target of 130 for victory, England’s openers Zak Crawley and Alex Lees had rattled off 97 runs in 17 overs, and needed just 33 more to seal both the match and the series. However, shortly after the scheduled close of 6.30pm, umpires Richard Kettleborough and Nitin Menon led the teams from the field, having deemed that the light had diminished too much to continue.The decision cause immediate uproar on the England balcony, where the captain Ben Stokes was seen gesticulating in disbelief, and the crowd booed loudly as the players left the field. However, having taken a light-meter reading at a similar time at the close of Saturday’s play, the umpires were obliged to take that as the precedent for the match, irrespective of the match situation – a point that England’s senior bowlers both acknowledged at the close.”It’s obviously frustrating from our point of view,” Anderson told Sky Sports. “The rate that we were scoring, it might only have needed another five or six overs. The guys were obviously seeing the ball pretty well, and with a good crowd in here tonight, it would have been nice to finish it.”But we understand what the point of view of the umpires is,” he said. “They’ve taken a reading yesterday. That’s the precedent for the whole game. And I think their message is, if it rains all day tomorrow, it would be unfair on South Africa if they just tried to get the game done tonight. But I’d like to think that common sense could prevail every now and then.”Broad also acknowledged that the umpires could not be faulted for having to follow the letter of the law as it stands.”If you’re a neutral making decisions, it was probably a fair call,” Broad said. “The umpires communicated it very clearly with Zak and Leesy out there. They were saying, look, we’re running out of time here … we don’t have long left. It’s not as if they said, right we’re coming off.”But we’re naturally disappointed and frustrated, particularly as the guys were going so well. Leesy hit the last ball of the day through the covers for four and was seeing it fine. I can see that side of it but as a changing room, we’re frustrated that we didn’t get to finish it in front of the crowd that have been with us all day.”It was a point of view backed up by the former England captain Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports, who called on the authorities to adjust to the prevailing late-season conditions.”You cannot be cross with the umpires, they are doing their job,” Hussain said. “The people who set the rules need to take a look. Do they think that suddenly, in September, it’s going to get bright at 6.45pm? It’s not. If you have to make up half an hour, start half an hour early, rather than adding on at the end of the day. But you’ve got a full house here. Cricket can’t just shoot itself in the foot, by picking up the bails and walking off.”Either way, the decision ran counter to the entertainment-first ethos that Stokes and Brendon McCullum have instilled to such good effect in their side this summer, with England now all but assured of finishing the summer with six victories in seven Tests, all of them achieved in a similar vein after batting second and letting their bowlers focus on taking 20 wickets.”It’s been amazing,” Anderson added. “Baz has been a breath of fresh air, it just feels like a positive atmosphere in that dressing room. The message he sends about going out there and trying to entertain, everyone’s bought into it.”Yes, some days it hasn’t come off, but when it does, it’s spectacular. And I think it’s really changed the way, not just the players think about Test cricket, but a lot of the world will think about Test cricket. It’s been an incredible summer, and hopefully we can get over the line and seal the deal tomorrow.”Marco Jansen, South Africa’s allrounder, was phlegmatic about the light situation, admitting that the game was already as good as up for his team, who are now resigned to a 2-1 series loss, having won so emphatically by an innings in the first Test at Lord’s last month.”I feel it would have not mattered whether we played another 20 minutes or we start again tomorrow,” Jansen said. “If the game was more in the balance, it probably would have affected us a bit more. But the situation that the game was in, I don’t feel it would have mattered. As bowlers we are always happy to play on, but it’s all up to the umpires.”

India crashed to their first defeat in the last 17 chases in T20Is at home

Himanshu Agrawal04-Oct-20221:32

Jaffer: India should have played a full-strength XI and pushed for a 3-0 win

Rilee Rossouw smashed his first T20I century as South Africa put up their fourth-highest total in the format, and India crumbled in their chase of 228. The 49-run reversal was the first defeat in their last 17 chases in T20Is at home.Rossouw cracked 100* – a score he reached off 48 balls – and added 90 free-flowing runs for the second wicket with Quinton de Kock. That partnership came off just eight overs, and included seven fours and six sixes, most of which were hit in the arc between deep midwicket and fine leg. De Kock hit 68 from 43 deliveries, starting off by flicking Mohammed Siraj for four and six in the second over.In their reply, India went hard, too, as they had to looking at the target, despite losing Rohit Sharma for a duck to the second ball of the innings. They lost four wickets after only seven overs, but managed to post 78 with exactly as many fours and sixes as Rossouw and de Kock had. In the end, the target proved far too big.Rilee Rossouw and Quinton de Kock added 90 runs for the second wicket in quick time•Getty Images

Rossouw and de Kock’s redeem themselves
After failing to score a single run in the first two matches of the series, Rossouw started with three dots, before making up rapidly; by the end of the ninth over, he was on 30 off 15 balls, going after each of Siraj, Umesh Yadav and R Ashwin.He flicked, pulled, swiped and hoicked at will, with neither the fuller lengths nor the shorter ones bothering him. A lot of luck went Rossouw’s way, too: first, when on 24, he slog-swept Ashwin, only for the ball to pop out of Siraj’s hands and go for six at fine leg.At the other end, de Kock made up for taking his time in the second T20I in Guwahati, where his 69* from 48 balls hurt South Africa in their chase. He raced to his fifty off 33 balls this time, pulling Umesh over fine leg to get to the landmark. The first ten overs raised 96, as the two raced along.The partnership ended when de Kock was run-out at the beginning of the 13th over.India had held back their left-arm spinner Axar Patel until 13 overs with two left-hand batters going gung-ho at the crease, and Rossouw just proved India’s fears right by slogging Axar’s third ball for six to reach his fifty off 27 balls.Rossouw then pulled Harshal Patel in the 15th over, with the ball just going over a leaping Umesh at fine leg. In the next over, he bisected long-on and deep midwicket as Deepak Chahar attempted a yorker. The last three overs fetched 50 runs for South Africa, including Tristan Stubbs’ cameo of 23 and David Miller’s final-over onslaught.Miller crashed three sixes off Chahar, as South Africa hit 24 off the final over. Their total boosted to 227.1:59

What should be SA’s ideal bowling line-up at the World Cup?

India, thin on batting, fall well short
In the chase, at 4 for 2 after the first ten balls – having lost Rohit and Shreyas Iyer – India promoted Dinesh Karthik, the designated finisher, to No. 4 despite the presence of Suryakumar Yadav [Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had been rested for the game].He declared his intentions first ball by pulling Wayne Parnell for four to deep midwicket. Next over, Rishabh Pant – who had opened alongside Rohit – hit Kagiso Rabada for four. The early boundaries gave India hope, and the full house at the Holkar Stadium something to cheer about after the Indian bowlers had been carted around earlier.With only 25 on the board after four overs, Pant went 4, 6, 4, 6 off Lungi Ngidi, before Stubbs’ brilliant catch at cover-point sent him back for 27 off 14 balls. India were three down after five overs, with another 183 to get at a required run-rate of over 12.That’s when Karthik brought out his full repertoire of strokes, attacking Parnell for 6, 4, 6 in the final over of the powerplay. He then deposited Keshav Maharaj for consecutive sixes next over, but in an attempt to be too creative, he was bowled trying to reverse scoop the spinner.An innings of 46 from 21 deliveries came to an end, and with it India’s hopes too. Their allrounders were slotted in as early as No. 6, with Axar followed by Harshal, Ashwin and Chahar.Harshal, Chahar and Umesh entertained with 17, 31 and 20* respectively, but India folded with nine balls left.

The forecast is bad for Sunday but that can change quickly, and both teams are determined not to be distracted by the weather

Alex Malcolm12-Nov-2022In 1992, the same year England and Pakistan last met in a World Cup final, Australian-based New Zealand band Crowded House released one of their most famous songs, Four Seasons in One Day.It was an ode to Melbourne’s unpredictable weather, featuring the line, “it doesn’t pay to make predictions.”It is a lesson the current England and Pakistan teams have heeded 30 years on, ahead of Sunday’s T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, with horrendous weather predicted.Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting 100% chance of rain with 10-20mm expected including “the chance of a thunderstorm, possibly severe with heavy falls.”But nothing is ever guaranteed in Melbourne when it comes to the weather. England risked failing to reach the knockouts, after focusing on Melbourne’s unpredictable weather too much earlier in the tournament in the shock loss to Ireland at the MCG.Related

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“Obviously, the Ireland match is a big disappointment for us as a team throughout this tournament, but certainly feels a long time ago now,” England captain Jos Buttler said on Saturday. “Being able to sit in this position on the eve of the World Cup final, I think we will have learned quite a few lessons throughout that game and actually, the lead-up into the game.”The weather around Melbourne was dominating the whole tournament at that stage and was definitely a distraction at times.”It was a blunt admission from Buttler and perhaps in part explained why England had bowled so poorly at the start of that game against Ireland.The irony is, as much as they were distracted by the weather in the lead-up to that loss, they freely admit too they didn’t pay enough attention to the radar during the game itself, when they fell five runs short of the DLS par score as the rain began to fall.”We know the areas we were short,” Buttler said. “That definitely hurt us. And I think we’ve seen a reaction to that game in the rest of the cricket we’ve played so far.”Pakistan had their own experience with Melbourne’s weather in the lead-up to their epic clash against India, with fears the game would be washed out without a ball being bowled due to another foreboding forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology. But in the end, not a drop of rain fell that night during Melbourne’s wettest October for half a century, and the teams duked it out in one of the best T20 internationals ever played.Pakistan were not distracted by the weather against India, having outplayed their opponents for much of the night before losing the game in the final eight deliveries.Again, ahead of the final, they are unperturbed by the forecast.”We discuss the weather situation of course, but we don’t focus on it,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said. “We’re focused on getting a full game in. It’s a World Cup final, so getting a part-game in or not getting one at all would be disappointing. We’re aiming to execute regardless of how long it is, but I’m really looking forward to getting a full game in.”Pakistan’s vibes-over-tactics mindset has served them well to this point and gives them great comfort.England too will take comfort from the knowledge that they have played a rain-shortened game in this tournament. They also played another in the lead-up to the event, against Australia in Canberra, giving them added recent experience of both setting and chasing in rain-shortened matches should the game be reduced to a 10-over affair, the minimum length needed for a result in the final.But as Crowded House front man Neil Finn wrote, “finding out wherever there is comfort there is pain, only one step away, like four seasons in one day.”

Zakir Hasan gets a maiden call-up after scoring 173 in a four-day game against India A last week

Mohammad Isam08-Dec-2022Mushfiqur Rahim, Yasir Ali and Taskin Ahmed have returned to Bangladesh’s squad for the first Test against India starting in Chattogram on December 14, while left-hand batter Zakir Hasan has been given his maiden call-up.Mushfiqur had missed Bangladesh’s previous Test series in West Indies to perform Hajj, while Yasir and Taskin were injured.Zakir, 24, made it to the 17-member side after scoring 173 for Bangladesh A in the first four-day game against India A in Cox’s Bazar last week. His innings helped Bangladesh A draw the game despite being nine down and on the verge of an innings defeat. Zakir, a top-order batter who keeps wickets, was also the highest run-scorer – 442 at 56.25 – in this season’s National Cricket League, Bangladesh’s first-class competition.”Zakir has been on our radar for the last five years,” Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin said. “He was in the High Performance unit for four of those years, and this season he was the highest scorer in first-class cricket. He played a good knock against India A last week. It saved the game. Selector Abdur Razzak, with the Bangladesh A side, witnessed the game and it seems Zakir is prepared for the highest level.”Tamim Iqbal, who missed the ODI series with a groin injury, Mosaddek Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman were the high-profile names missing from the Test squad, which will be led by Shakib Al Hasan. It is understood that Tamim’s recovery could take until December 22, which could put him in doubt for the second Test starting on December 22 in Mirpur.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Mushfiqur’s return, however, is a huge boost for Bangladesh, while Yasir comes back to the Test format after a long layoff following the injury he suffered during the tour of South Africa in March and April. The hosts have picked five fast bowlers in their squad, along with the regulation three spinners in Shakib, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam.The real battle, however, will be for top-order spots. Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mominul Haque are out of form, while Najmul Hossain Shanto’s spot is also shaky after scoring just one half-century this year. The middle order looks stable with Mushfiqur, Shakib and Litton taking their usual places.While the series is a crucial one for India from the point of view of their qualification for the World Test Championship, Bangladesh will hope to cause an upset after defeating the visitors in the ODI series. Bangladesh have never won a Test match against India, having lost nine and drawn two out of 11 games.Test squad: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque, Yasir Ali, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Litton Das, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Khaled Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Zakir Hasan, Rejaur Rahman Raja, Anamul Haque

Lara will work with the men’s international teams and with the board’s academy, while also serving as head coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2023Cricket West Indies (CWI) has roped in Brian Lara as a performance mentor to work with the West Indies international teams across formats and with the board’s academy.Lara will be supporting the various head coaches “in providing players with tactical advice and improving their game sense, as well as working closely with the Director of Cricket [Jimmy Adams] on ICC World Cup Tournament strategic planning,” a CWI press statement said.”Having spent time with the players and coaches in Australia and in discussions with CWI, I really believe that I can help the players with their mental approach to the game and with their tactics to be more successful,” Lara said. His first assignment will be with the West Indies Test squad, which he has already joined in Zimbabwe. He will help in the preparations ahead of the first Test starting February 4 in Bulawayo. Before the Test, West Indies will also play a four-day warm-up game, starting Saturday in Bulawayo.”I am really looking forward to Brian making a significant contribution to our cricket system by providing invaluable guidance and advice to our players and coaches,” Adams said. “We are confident that Brian will help to improve our high-performance mindset and strategic culture that will bring us more success on the field across all formats. Everyone is excited to have Brian involved in supporting our players.”West Indies’ last Test series was in Australia last month, where they were swept 2-0, not long after they had crashed out in the first round of the T20 World Cup. Nicholas Pooran stepped down as the white-ball captain later, in November.Lara was also on the review panel which CWI had appointed to look into West Indies’ poor performance at the T20 World Cup.Even though CWI did not specify for how long Lara would work with the various teams going forward, he came in with under ten months to go for the ODI World Cup in India and around 18 months before the T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean next year.In between, of course, Lara will also be engaged with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2023 IPL as their head coach, having taken over from Tom Moody in September last year.

Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of sexual coercion

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2023Scotland’s players refused to shake hands with Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane after their three-wicket loss in Kirtipur on Friday, a silent protest to the spinner’s continued presence and participation in the ICC’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series. The team shook hands with every other Nepal player after the game, but pointedly refused to do so with Lamichhane.Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of sexual coercion. He was cleared to play in the series which also involves Namibia, after CAN (Cricket Association Nepal) lifted a suspension on the granting of his bail. The refusal to shake hands is the culmination of simmering tension among Scotland and Namibia’s players over Lamichhane’s presence. In an earlier game, Namibia’s players had chosen to fist-bump Nepal’s players – including Lamichhane – but refused to shake hands post-game.Related

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• Sandeep Lamichhane in Nepal's playing XI for tri-series opener

• Sandeep Lamichhane named in Nepal squad for Scotland, Namibia tri-series

Though there is understood to be anger among the players in those two teams, their boards – Cricket Scotland and Cricket Namibia – have only issued generic statements condemning gender-based violence before the tri-series began, also acknowledging that Nepal’s selection was not their concern. The ICC has not commented publicly on his selection.Scotland decided to keep their hands down for Lamichhane, believing that this would be a more powerful statement. It is believed Lamichhane had been made aware of the protest beforehand.Lamichhane took 3 for 27 in the win, as Nepal recovered from 77 for 5 and then 177 for 6 to chase down 275 with three overs to spare. In Tuesday’s opening game against Namibia, Lamichhane took 3 for 66 in a two-wicket win.Lamichhane’s presence at the pre-series training camp drew protests from fans in the country, as well as on social media. He was arrested last October on return to Kathmandu after an arrest warrant had been issued in his name while he was at the Caribbean Premier League. He has denied the allegations in a post on Facebook. Nepal next play against Namibia on Saturday.

Batter added to long-list for Hundred draft, which takes place on Thursday

Matt Roller22-Mar-2023Laurie Evans has had his provisional suspension from all cricket lifted after a positive test for a banned substance caused him to miss the English winter.Evans denied any wrongdoing after failing a routine anti-doping test while playing for Manchester Originals in the Hundred last year, saying he was “shocked” at his positive result.But he was unable to fulfil his contracts in the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Big Bash last winter while charges hung over him, and has not played competitively since September 3.ESPNcricinfo understands that his suspension was raised in a ruling on Tuesday evening. Evans has not been absolved of the charges and will face a hearing later this year, but he is free to resume his career.He is on a white-ball-only deal with his county Surrey and could make his competitive comeback in the Vitality Blast in late May.Evans’ name has also been added to a revised longlist of players available in Thursday’s Hundred draft, which was circulated to teams on Wednesday afternoon.An ECB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo: “The National Anti-Doping Panel has ruled that a Provisional Suspension imposed on Laurie Evans on 1 November 2022, in respect of an alleged anti-doping rule violation under the ECB Anti-Doping Rules, is lifted with effect from 21 March 2023.”Consequently, Mr Evans is eligible for The Hundred Draft tomorrow and to play cricket pending the conclusion of the anti-doping proceedings against him.”As a short-form specialist, he could also make himself available for the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the US.Surrey declined to comment.March 22, 2023, 1635 GMT – This story was updated to include comment from the ECB.