Fourth consecutive title for champions, but they are forced to fight all the way as Maxfield takes seven

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2019 Berkshire 164 (Morris 89, Hemmings 4-21) and 97 for 9 (Maxfield 7-48) beat Staffordshire 150 and 110 (Nugent 5-40, Rishton 4-42) by one wicket.Berkshire held their nerve to win the Minor Counties Championship for a record-equalling fourth successive season after they scrambled a one-wicket victory over Staffordshire on the third day of the final at Banbury.Berkshire were set just 97 to win but that modest target looked like being beyond them when they slipped to 87 for 9 with Staffordshire seamer Tim Maxfield taking seven of the wickets.But Staffordshire could not dislodge Berkshire opener Jack Davies who batted throughout the innings for 42 not out.With the support of last man Mungo Russell, Davies managed to whittle down the runs, striking Rob Hemmings for an important boundary, taking a single off the same bowler to level the scores and then clinching victory in a remarkable low-scoring final by taking the winning single off Maxfield.Berkshire’s win equalled Devon’s record of four successive Championships under the captaincy of Peter Roebuck between 1994 and 1997 and gave them their seventh national title in four season to go with four Western Division crowns.Defeat was hard on Maxfield who finished with career-best figures of 7 for 48 in a brave effort from Staffordshire, the Eastern Division champions.Ball dominated bat throughout the match on a pitch that helped the seamers and only one batsman, Berkshire’s Richard Morris in the first innings, made 50. Davies was the only other batsman to top 30.There were 13 LBWs in the match, ten of them against Berkshire with five in each innings.Berkshire began the day needing 73 more runs for victory and Staffordshire requiring seven more wickets.The equation became 73 runs with six wickets in hand after Manraj Johal bowled Middlesex T20 batsman Dan Lincoln without addition to the overnight total.Maxfield then bowled Berkshire captain James Morris and Johal trapped Andy Rishton LBW to make it 40 for 6.But the experienced Chris Peploe (15) and Tom Nugent (13) supplied valuable lower-order runs in important partnerships with Davies for the seventh and eighth wickets which got Berkshire to within 16 of their target.Maxfield then had Nugent and Luke Beaven LBW but Davies, who is on Middlesex’s books, and Russell held firm for 23 balls while they scraped together the last ten runs.

Door not closed, says Ashley Giles after announcement, with Alex Hales given similar message after missing out

Andrew Miller20-Sep-2019Liam Plunkett has said that “disappointment is an understatement” after he was surprisingly overlooked in England’s list of centrally contracted white-ball players for 2019-20.Plunkett played a key role in England’s maiden World Cup triumph this summer, including three wickets in their victory in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s, and has claimed a total of 96 ODI wickets at 28.01 in the four years since the last World Cup in 2015, more than any other England white-ball seamer.However, at the age of 34, Plunkett has been considered by the ECB management to be past his prime as they begin to gear their white-ball squads towards next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia and ultimately the defence of their 50-over title in India in 2023, by which stage he will be 38.Explaining the decision at Lord’s on Friday, Ashley Giles, England’s director of men’s cricket, praised Plunkett’s contribution as a “fantastic servant” to the white-ball team, but pointed out that his pace had dipped in recent seasons and that a team with an eye to the future had a duty to prioritise a new generation of bowlers – not least Tom Curran, who was a non-playing member of England’s World Cup squad, and the Lancashire paceman, Saqib Mahmood, who is expected to be named in England’s T20 squad next week, for their five-match tour of New Zealand.”Plunkett has been … one of Eoin [Morgan]’s go-to men,” Giles said. “But moving into a new cycle of four years, before the 50-over World Cup and two T20 World Cups, he probably didn’t fit those future needs for the next 12-24 months, which is tough.”He’s one of the most physical men we have in our line-ups. He’s incredibly fit and strong, but in terms of the numbers, I guess his paces have been down a little bit for some time.”His best came in that role in the World Cup, and the World Cup final. He should be really proud of that achievement, and what they did as a team, but everything moves on for all of us.”Writing in his column after the World Cup win, Plunkett conceded he had “definitely” played in his last 50-over World Cup, but had vowed to “stick around in the game for a little longer”.He took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to express his disappointment at the decision, although he later clarified: “I am really happy for all the boys who got contracted. I am not having a pop at anyone just disappointed I didn’t get one.”Giles added: “We’re not saying that the door’s closed, but just in terms of the core of that team, which is where those contracts are offered, he probably just misses out. It’s difficult to be the person who puts that pen through the name, but that’s cricket.”Liam Plunkett acknowledges the applause of the crowd after finishing with figures of 3/42•Getty Images

Another player on whom the door is not closed is Alex Hales, despite being stripped of his white-ball contract in the wake of the positive tests for recreational drug use that led to his sacking from the World Cup squad.Hales has a prominent opportunity to make his case for an England recall on T20 Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, where Nottinghamshire take on the defending champions Worcestershire in the first semi-final.Joe Clarke and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who were stood down from England Lions duty following inappropriate off-field behaviour, were also given a clean slate as Giles cited the recent example of Ben Stokes to show that players who make career-threatening errors of judgement can earn themselves second chances.”The door isn’t closed on Alex, or certainly those other guys,” he said. “They’ve served whatever time they had to serve. It will come down to performance, and there is always an element of culture and team cohesion.”In the short term at least, Hales might find his path back to the England squad blocked by the captain, Eoin Morgan, who was scathing in his assessment of Hales’ character when explaining the reasoning behind his World Cup axing.”Eoin talked about that element of trust, and has there been enough time to make up for that?” said Giles. “Maybe, maybe not … that’ll come down to Eoin and the selectors, but the door is still open. He’s a fantastic T20 player and, you know, a mistake shouldn’t haunt you for life. As we’ve seen very good other example this year.”After a period of reflection in the wake of the World Cup win, Morgan recently confirmed that he was ready to carry on as England captain, a development that delighted Giles, especially given that the concurrent departure of the coach Trevor Bayliss would have left the white-ball squad rudderless in the interim.”We met about a month after the World Cup final, and he wanted some time to consider his future, which is just the way Morgs operates,” Giles said. “He’s very sensible, very logical. And thankfully, he rang me a couple of weeks after that, and said, I’m absolutely fully committed to going forward. And I’m looking forward to it, refreshed.”That first month was probably a bit of a haze for him anyway,” he added. “But he’s probably dried out a bit and come around, and I’m delighted. He is a fantastic leader of men in that dressing room. And with us losing Trev, it’s important we maintain some consistency and that leadership going forward.”Morgan’s role in moulding the England team post-2015 has been well documented. But Giles believes that, even if he is unable to take the side all the way to the 2023 World Cup (by which stage he will be 36), the groundwork already laid is such that Jos Buttler (or AN Other candidate) would be well placed to take over at shorter notice.”To give Jos that responsibility now, I think, is a lot for him, given he’s playing across all three formats. But is he a future leader? Quite possibly. And given where the white-ball team is, perhaps we can manage that transition better.”But just because we’re world champions, we can’t just keep doing the same stuff. When the new coach comes in, his relationship with the captains is going to be important. And we will need different things in both environments, because the white-ball environment is probably more mature in how they play their cricket than the Test environment. But both are really exciting opportunities.”

India and Bangladesh are the only Full Members apart from Afghanistan and Ireland to have not played a day-night Test yet

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2019The BCB has agreed to the BCCI’s request for the second Test between India and Bangladesh to be a day-night fixture at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.”I’m pleased to announce that our long-term partner BCB has graciously agreed to play a day-night Test match,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who has spoken about day-night affairs as “a way forward” when it comes to bringing people to the stadiums to watch Test cricket, said in a statement released by the BCCI. “This is the beginning of something special in Indian cricket. It is a priority for the newly elected Office Bearers and members of Apex Council to take Indian cricket forward.”For me, as former captain of India and as the current president of BCCI, Test cricket is of utmost priority and we at BCCI will leave no stone unturned to bring this format back to its feet. In this effort of ours, day-night Test cricket is a huge step forward and we believe it will bring back the crowd into stadiums and a whole lot of young children to the sport. I am extremely honoured that the Eden Gardens will host the inaugural day-night Test match and the Cricket Association of Bengal will create a spectacle for everyone to watch.”The development comes less than a week after Ganguly took charge of the BCCI, and the BCB, despite the Bangladesh cricketers having played almost no day-night multi-day cricket – true of the Indians too – played ball.”I thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board President Mr. Nazmul Hassan and his team for accepting our request on such a short notice. I also thank India captain Mr. Virat Kohli for his co-operation,” Ganguly said.ALSO READ – Red ball, not pink – BCCI, domestic cricketers make their preference knownHassan acknowledged the “very long history of support, co-operation and friendship” between the two boards, saying in the same statement, “Ours is a bond of strength and it is very heartening and reassuring for the BCB to have someone like Mr Ganguly as BCCI President who has been an integral part of this journey.”Sourav Ganguly chats with Virat Kohli at an event in Kolkata in 2018•Getty Images

Bangladesh’s decision to go ahead with the pink-ball Test came after discussions between the board and the players.”I am pleased that we have had a frank and constructive discussion with the players and the team management. I have received a positive response about playing the day-night Test in view of the BCB-BCCI relationship,” Hassan said.That the Bangladesh team would play the Kolkata Test as a day-night contest had actually become clear when head coach Russell Domingo addressed a press conference in Mirpur on Tuesday, the same day their Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC for two years (one year suspended) for not reporting bookie approaches to the concerned authorities.”As a coach and some players and all the other senior players, we think it’s a great opportunity and I don’t think India have played a pink-ball Test before,” Domingo said. “We haven’t played a pink-ball Test and it’s a great occasion at Eden Gardens and it will be a new experience for both teams. So, we’re excited and it’s going to be a great occasion under lights at Kolkata against probably the best team in the world.”We’re really looking forward to the challenge. We’re not going to have a lot of time to prepare with the pink ball but it’s the same for India.”One of the major concerns for Bangladesh was their lack of match practice with the pink balls that are used in day-night Tests – only one match has been played in the country with them, the first-class Bangladesh Cricket League final in February 2013.Coach Russell Domingo speaks to some of the players during a training session•BCB

While Domingo acknowledged those concerns, he reckoned the “uncertainty” surrounding the pink-ball Test might tilt the scales in Bangladesh’s favour.”We know India are a good Test team, they’re the No. 1 Test team in the world, but the uncertainty of playing a pink-ball Test – both teams don’t quite know what to expect – could work in our advantage,” he said. “The way the game’s going, we need to try new things at certain times and we’re excited by it.”I’ve spoken to the players and for sure there have been some concerns and some guys have said: ‘Oh! We don’t know, two [four] days between the first and second Test’.”Domingo, though, has been part of a day-night Test before, in 2016, when he was the coach of the South Africa team that faced Australia at Adelaide Oval. Domingo hoped that experience would assist him in Kolkata.”In my time at South Africa, we played a pink-ball Test in Adelaide, but we had a warm-up game before that and we had a few sessions with the pink ball leading into the Test match,” Domingo recalled. “I have some experience when it has happened with the pink ball, so hopefully we can share the information and that’s the advantage for us.”Shakib’s ban is a massive blow to a side that is already depleted by the absence of Tamim Iqbal, who has pulled out of the entire tour of India as his wife is expecting their second child later this month.India and Bangladesh are the only Full Members apart from Afghanistan and Ireland to have not played a day-night Test yet.The Eden Gardens Test is scheduled to begin on November 22, with the series of three T20Is (Delhi – November 3, Rajkot – November 7, and Nagpur – November 10) and the first Test, in Indore from November 14, preceding it.

The first day-night Test in India threatens to be the shortest completed Test in the country, but Mushfiqur Rahim might stand in the way of that

The Report by Sidharth Monga23-Nov-2019The first day-night Test in India threatens to be the shortest in the country. After two days – 916 legal deliveries – India were just four, possibly three, wickets away from recording their longest winning streak: seven. The quickest it has previously taken to achieve an outright result in India is 1028 balls, against Afghanistan in 2018. With that record still up for grabs on day three at Eden Gardens, the match also seems destined to be the joint-leanest for spinners in India – just one wicket to them so far, matching the Golden Jubilee Test of 1981.It is hard to judge if the conditions were very skewed against the batsmen, because Bangladesh did play quite a few tame shots to get out. Ishant Sharma looked nigh unplayable with his inswing and the odd legcutter, ending the day one wicket short of only his second 10-wicket match haul. He hit Mohammad Mithun with a bouncer, and had that resulted in a concussion, Bangladesh would have had to get Mustafizur Rahman in as a batting-only substitute. Bangladesh still found themselves a player short with Mahmudullah injuring his hamstring trying to complete a quick single.And oh, by the way, Virat Kohli scored his 27th Test century, his 20th as captain, going past Ricky Ponting and behind only Graeme Smith’s 25. Speaking of captains, a former captain, Mushfiqur Rahim, made sure the match went into day three with a counterattacking fifty after he himself was hit on the head.The day began with India 68 in the lead, seven wickets in hand and Kohli primed for yet another inevitable-looking Test hundred. Like a matter of routine, Kohli eased his way to a century despite some turn for Taijul Islam, who had come in as a concussion substitute for Nayeem Hasan. The problem with Bangladesh was they were bowling good balls but not good overs. Kohli was alert enough to keep the good ones out, and take risk-free runs off the ordinary ones. Some of the driving of course was gorgeous.Ajinkya Rahane was unfortunate enough to fall to the odd good ball despite having crossed fifty. Unlike Kohli, Rahane likes to stay back to spin and play a lot of horizontal-bat shots. The kind of delivery that would have beaten Kohli on the forward-defensive took a top edge on the cut. Not that it changed the flow of the game a lot. Nor did the movement with the second new ball. All it did was hasten the end of the Indian innings – declared closed at nine down – to give Bangladesh a possible 44 overs to survive on the second evening.The way Ishant started, it didn’t look like Bangladesh would last the night. In his first over, he toyed with the outside edge of Shadman Islam, moving closer and closer to the stumps and finally trapping him lbw. Captain Mominul Haque then grabbed a pair by managing to somehow edge a half-volley.That brought together batsmen with two of the five worst averages in Test cricket in the last three years: Mithun and Imrul Kayes. Mithun soon suffered a sickening blow with an Ishant bouncer following him after pitching. He continued batting after a concussion test but soon played a limp pull to give Umesh Yadav a wicket. Ishant soon drew the seemingly overdue edge from Kayes to leave Bangladesh at 13 for 4.Dangerous games continued as Rahim received a glancing blow in the head from Yadav. With so many blows to the heads and dropped catches, questions will be, and should be, asked if it had anything to do with the pink ball.Rahim, though, waved his physio off, raising questions over concussion protocols in cricket. The way he continued to bat it didn’t seem he was suffering from one, though. Mahmudullah, too, batted fluently despite struggles against the short ball. Both of them chose to attack, and they had plenty of opportunity to do so with the aggressive fields in place.When they took the innings into the 14th over, Mahmudullah and Rahim had put together Bangladesh’s longest partnership of the match. It didn’t stop there. Boundaries kept flowing. Movement died out, India’s lengths became shorter, and the ball kept skidding across the dewy outfield. Mahmudullah, however, had to retire hurt for 39 off 41. The ease with which the two batted, though, begged the question: why weren’t the side’s two best batsmen batting higher and taking more responsibility, especially in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.Now India were forced to go to spin after only one over of it in the first innings, that too to facilitate a change of ends. R Ashwin immediately produced a chance, but Rahane dropped an easy chance at slip, his fourth off the bowling of Ashwin in this series. Ishant came back to get rid of the reprieved batsman Mehidy Hasan, and just before stumps Yadav ended Taijul’s resistance. India are still on their way to a comfortable win, but Rahim had managed to make them wait for another night.

Solo Nqweni receives anonymous donation to help fund £80,000 flight from UK by air ambulance

Firdose Moonda09-Jan-2020Solo Nqweni is going home. Nqweni, an allrounder from the Eastern Cape, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome while playing club cricket for Aberdeenshire last July, spent four weeks in an induced coma and has been receiving treatment in a Scottish hospital for the past five months. He has now recovered enough to travel back to South Africa to continue his rehabilitation.However, it costs more than £80,000 (US$104,000) for an air ambulance. His agent launched a fundraiser four days ago, which had collected £3125 (US$4077), and then on Thursday, an anonymous donor offered to foot the rest of the bill. Nqweni will be in Johannesburg by the weekend.Rob Humphries, Nqweni’s agent, had been working alongside the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), and its player services manager, JP van Wyk, to try and secure his return home. They were floored by the generosity of an unknown individual who has made a massive difference to Nqweni’s quality of life.Nqweni played for South Africa Under-19s in 2012 and has been contracted to Eastern Province and the Warriors franchise since. He was on his first cricketing assignment abroad. “I had been pestering him for the last 4-5 years to come to the UK and he finally decided 2019 was the year – then this happened,” Humphries told ESPNcricinfo.After two months in the UK, Nqweni picked up what he thought was the flu. “He had a sore throat and just feeling unwell but was reluctant to go to the doctor,” Humphries said.It was only when the symptoms did not subside that someone at the Aberdeenshire club insisted Nqweni seek medical attention. The National Health Service (NHS) diagnosed him with Guillain-Barré “pretty quickly”, and he was admitted to hospital on July 14 when matters took a turn for the worse. “The thing about Guillain-Barré is that you lose control over your muscles and so, can’t control your ability to breathe,” Humphries said.Nqweni had to put into a coma so a machine could do the work of his lungs. “There were about three to four weeks where it was touch and go,” Humphries said. “And the other thing is that it doesn’t affect the mind, so you are completely aware of what is happening. It’s being trapped in your own body.”During this time, members of the Nqweni family travelled to Aberdeen in relays, ensuring that there was always someone at his side. SACA contributed to their accommodation expenses as well as ensured his franchise contract would stay in place for the ongoing 2019-20 season, even though he is unable to play.Once he had made some progress, Nqweni was brought out of the coma and slowly began to regain some of his muscular functions. In September, he was still being fed out of a tube but was regaining some of his vocal capacity. “It was like if someone loses their voice and you can only just hear them,” Humphries said.By October, Nqweni was able to talk loudly enough to record a video wishing the South African national rugby team, the Springboks, well for the World Cup. In December, he was visited by Ben Stokes and his wife Clare, who were in Aberdeen for the Sports Personality of the Year awards and now, in January, “he has enough mobility to use some of his messenger services,” according to Humphries, who receives messages from Nqweni on Instagram.Given the progress he has made, doctors have given Nqweni the all-clear to travel home but he requires a specialist air ambulance transfer with round-the-clock medical support and a seat for a member of his family to make the journey with him. The exorbitant cost was not covered by the NHS and was too much for the Nqweni family to bear on their own, so Humphries took to social media to try and raise funds. His GoFundMe campaign received some support in its first few days before an unexpectedly large single donation covered the bulk of the cost.Nqweni will still need significant recovery time and money. His family have identified a facility in Johannesburg for the former, while SACA has promised to assist Nqweni in accessing their past player fund, once his contract ends this season, and disability fund, should he require it. It is not known whether Nqweni will be able to return to professional sport, but if he doesn’t he has other options. Before his illness, Nqweni was working part-time for the bank Investec, and studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce degree.”He is a smart kid and can do anything he wants,” Humphries said. “But I think right now, there is no other consideration for him apart from returning to play cricket. He is so strong. I promised him that for the first ball he bowls, I will fly down from England to see it.”

The match will be staged before the Big Bash final on February 8 and all BBL final profits will go to bushfire relief

Daniel Brettig12-Jan-2020This year’s Big Bash League final day on February 8 will be turned into a bushfire relief fundraiser with Cricket Australia committing all profits and donations from the tournament decider – plus a curtain-raising match between two legends teams led by Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne – to help rebuild amid the devastating bushfires across the country.While the scheduling of a fundraising game has been mooted for some time, CA’s decision to hand over all profits from the biggest domestic match of the season, to be played at the home ground of the top qualifying team, offers the potential of a cash bonanza for relief efforts. This would be particularly true if the current runaway leaders of the BBL, the Melbourne Stars, are able to set up a competition final at the MCG, which was the scene of a Boxing Day tsunami charity match in January 2005 that attracted a crowd of 70,101 and raised A$14.5 million.Other former players confirmed for the match, called the Bushfire Cricket Bash, include Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shane Watson, Alex Blackwell and Michael Clarke. Steve Waugh and Mel Jones will be involved in a non-playing capacity.The game will take place on the same day as the Australia-India women’s T20 tri-series fixture at Junction Oval in Melbourne, which has been moved earlier in the day to avoid a scheduling clash, and the BBL final. The bushfire relief match will be staged ahead of the final with the venue to be determined on January 31 when the hosts are confirmed in the Qualifier knockout match.”I’m delighted to confirm the Bushfire Cricket Bash will be Cricket Australia’s major fundraising initiative to support Australians impacted by the recent unprecedented bushfire emergency,” the CA chief executive Kevin Roberts said.”People the world over have seen the overwhelming images of hundreds of thousands of hectares burnt, precious lives lost, hundreds of properties destroyed and the devastating loss of wildlife as a result of the fires. These images have reinforced the need to get behind organisations like the Australian Red Cross which is responding to the immediate requirements of people who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods.”The confirmation of the charity match is the latest part of cricket’s role in the fundraising efforts which have included the Australia Test attack donating A$1000 for every wicket they took in the SCG Test, signed shirts from both the Test side and BBL teams and BBL players donating money for sixes hit and wickets taken.Warne has also played a significant role by donating his baggy green which was auctioned for more than one million dollars last week with Commonwealth Bank being revealed as the winning bidder. They will take the cap on a fundraising tour around the country before donating it to the Bradman Museum in Bowral.”I’m very proud of the response not only from the Australian Cricket family but from the broader sporting industry and the community at large,” Roberts said. “It’s just so humbling to see the collaboration and determination to do whatever is needed to help our fellow Australians in their time of need.”Among other measures taken by CA, the governing body, state and territory associations and the Australian Cricketers Association will release all employees for up to three days of paid leave to undertake volunteer work in bushfire-affected areas. CA has also set-up an A$2 million community bushfire recovery fund to support affected cricket clubs and cricket communities.”While the financial support of rebuilding is without doubt one of the best ways to contribute, we know the recovery efforts will take months beyond the fires being managed and we want to do what we can to support these communities,” Roberts said. “Our people, right across the Australian Cricket family including all States and Territories and the ACA, can together, through this initiative provide more than 4000 days of volunteering to assist wherever they are needed.”

New Zealand’s innings folds in just 38.1 overs as Luus picks up second six-for of ODI career

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2020For the third time in this ODI series, New Zealand had first strike, and for the third time this series, South Africa came up trumps. This time it was on the back of innings-wrecking 6 for 45 from legspinner Sune Luus, who spun the hosts out for 149 and secured South Africa direct qualification into the 2021 ODI World Cup.New Zealand’s innings folded in just 38.1 overs, with Suzie Bates their only performer of note, scoring 51 of their runs. They had been inserted by South Africa and looked on course for a decent total at 96 for 3 in the 23rd, with Bates set at one end. Then, Luus struck her first blow: Katie Perkins stumped by Trisha Chetty for 11. The wickets – including two more stumpings – came quick and fast thereafter, with Luus racing to her second-best figures in ODI cricket. The innings ended with No. 11 Rosemary Mair’s run-out.None of South Africa’s batters really got going, but then the target of 150 was never really going to stretch them. They eased home in the 38th over, on the back of 30-somethings from captain Dane van Niekerk and Mignon du Preez.”I was really happy with how the girls handled the pressure in today’s match and how we went about our job with a sense of confidence,” van Niekerk said after the match. “We started really well in the field. Kappie (Marizanne Kapp) and Shabnim (Ismail) managed to put pressure on and didn’t concede a lot. The six-for from Sune (Luus) was the key and really proud of her- that’s initially what started it off and created a big buzz in the field. It is a great feeling to come out with a 3-0 win over a very strong New Zealand side.”The teams will now play five T20Is, which gain extra significance as it is their last chance to fine tune plans for the Women’s T20 World Cup that kicks off in Australia on February 21.

England’s World Cup XI relives the drama of the Super Over victory over New Zealand

Wisden Almanack08-Apr-2020In an extract from the 2020 Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, England’s World Cup XI look back on the thrilling denouement to last summer’s unforgettable final at Lord’s

Joe Root

There wasn’t the normal Lord’s hum, but pockets of pin-drop silence, like a game of snooker. Jofra was unlucky when the first ball was called wide, and he got quite animated. To keep his composure after that was a credit to him. When Neesham hit that six, I thought back to Eden Gardens in 2016 – this surely can’t happen again. Watching the ball sail into the stands was a sinking feeling.But Jof has such strong self-belief. From the penultimate delivery, he fielded off his own bowling, and I screamed: “Hold it!” If he had hit the stumps with a shy, Neesham would have been run out – but if he had missed, it would have handed New Zealand an extra run.When Jos took the bails off next ball, I had a great view from midwicket. Straight behind him, on the balcony, all the support staff and coaches were bouncing around, and to the left were the families. Jofra ran off and did a Klinsmann dive, but everyone hurried after Jos, wheeling away into the bottom corner of the ground.Seeing my parents up above us, with my grandfather, little boy, wife and friends, was really special. Jonny Bairstow picked me up. I punched him in the chest, and screamed in his face: “World Cup! World Cup!” The other squad members were soon on the field too. I have never seen Moeen Ali run so fast. It was pure elation.

When Woody got run out off the last ball of our 50 overs, everyone was so confused about what came next. But the waiting period got us all fired up, especially me. At one point, I didn’t think we were even going to tie the game, so to be given another life meant everyone had that little bit more fight.I wanted to bowl the super over, but didn’t get confirmation until about two minutes before we warmed up. I usually bowl at the death of a 50-over innings, so I thought it was likely to be me, but I wouldn’t have been too upset if it hadn’t: at least I wouldn’t have been responsible if we’d lost.When the umpire signalled a wide on the tramline first ball, I asked Morgs to review it. He said, “You can’t with a wide, Jof, I’m sorry,” and we laughed. Even when I was hit for six, I was not worried. You have to accept you are probably going to go for a boundary. We had the misfield, but kept our heads, and limited them to ones and twos.When Jos completed the run-out, I set off in the opposite direction to the others, and did a chest slide. Then we all joined up, and people started jumping on me. It was the sweetest moment I’ve had on a cricket field. I’ll be honest: it almost brought a tear to my eye. As someone who has always loved the game, it still feels surreal to be a World Cup winner. I can only imagine how special it feels for the others, because they were on that journey for four years. They went through what happened in 2015. In fact, I feel happier for them than I do for myself.What just happened: we’re unlikely to ever see a cricket match as dramatic as the 2019 World Cup final•Getty Images

Like all the others, I enjoyed a minute of utter madness, picking up Mark Wood and tossing him in the air. Then I saw Martin Guptill still lying on the ground. I’ve always felt that the only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner. I’m sure people could understand why we were all running around like headless chickens, but going over to commiserate seemed the right thing to do. It probably helped that we’ve always got on well with the New Zealanders.Jimmy Neesham was there too, and I said: “Hard luck, lads, great game.” I half-tried to pick Guptill off the turf, but he wasn’t budging. Neesham just said: “Nah, we’re all good, mate. Congratulations.” It wasn’t until I saw the photo later of me and Guptill that I thought back to 2005 and the image of Andrew Flintoff with Brett Lee at Edgbaston. I was there that day on the groundstaff. Now, here I was as a player, in a moment I’ll never forget.

Umpire Aleem Dar came into the dressing-room, and Eoin Morgan told him: “Woody’s torn his side.” Even throwing a ball was going to hurt, so Aleem said a substitute fielder was fine. I watched from the bench with the physio and the doctor.Ben was so intense: he had that eye-of-the-tiger look. He headed out the back to gather himself. Jos Buttler is someone who’s normally really calm, yet he was quite animated. At one point, he was on his haunches, hitting the physio bed with his fists, shouting expletives. That’s definitely not like him. But when he and Stokesy went back out, they were both in the zone.I felt sick the whole time but, when Jos hit that last ball for four, it settled me down. I thought 15 was a great score. During their over, I was biting my nails, unable to stand still. Moeen Ali and I were guessing every ball what Jofra was going to do; I’m not sure we got any right.

I was excited to have another chance to affect things. I had got out at a crucial time, and it was tough watching, but suddenly I was back in the game. I started to pad up, because I assumed it would be me – and wanted it to be me. I’d been involved in a few super overs, so I knew what to expect.Trent Boult bowled a good over, and it did feel like we had to scramble hard. Stokesy skewed one over third man, then I hit one to deep cover that the fielder didn’t pick up, so we managed two. After I hit the last ball for four, Stokesy gave me a massive fist-bump: we got 15, which felt like a decent effort, plus we had Jofra to bowl, and no one had got him away in the regular innings.As we walked back out, Rash said we had Allah with us, and Morgs spoke about the luck of the Irish. We had definitely enjoyed some good fortune – when the ball deflected off Stokesy’s bat to the boundary, that must be how it feels to win the lottery.I’ve watched the super over back on TV and, when Neesham hits the six, you think the game is over. But on the field it never felt lost. We knew how good Jofra was. I just thought: do your job, don’t get ahead of yourself. That was the same right down to the run-out.People have often asked whether I thought I might be about to drop the World Cup, but it never entered my mind: there was no time. It was a simple bit of fielding. The ball goes straight to Jason, and when he throws it in, you know the bounce at Lord’s will be true: just catch it, and break the stumps. I knew as soon as Guptill had hit it that I was going to have time, and he was a long way short.Then I remember the biggest and best feeling of pure emotion for 30 seconds or a minute, with everyone running around, and me throwing my gloves in the air. I don’t remember anyone saying anything, just running and hugging…Joe Root takes off on a celebratory run•Getty Images

The only moment I felt rushed all day was when we batted in the super over. The plan before the game, in the unlikely event of one happening, had been to send out Jason with Jos, but because Ben had played so well – and almost everyone else so terribly – we thought he had to go out again. I asked him if that was all right, and he said he’d be fine, even though he could barely breathe.When Boult started bowling yorkers from the Nursery End, I thought that, if a wicket fell, it would be tough for a right-hander to hit him up the hill. So I hurried to get my pads on. It was the biggest panic of the day.After the 2016 World T20 final, you never think you have enough runs, but Jofra is the best, and we felt we could defend 15. Marais Erasmus called us over as we were walking out to field, to tell us about boundary countback: 15’s a win, he said, 16 a defeat. But when Neesham hit that six, New Zealand needed seven off four. It was theirs to lose.I was talking to Jofra every ball. What matters as a captain is that you receive a response which makes sense. If the bowler’s talking gibberish, or his eyes are glazed over, you need to take more time, and ask him what he’s doing. The only time he wasn’t thinking clearly was when he wanted DRS for the first-ball wide! But his presence of mind was extraordinary. From the fifth ball, which was supposed to be a bouncer, he decided not to try to run Neesham out: if he’d missed, it would have been game over.The last delivery to Guptill was superb. We only had three fielders on the off side: short third man, point and cover. So Jofra had to follow him if he tried to create room. I was at the bowler’s end as Jason gathered the ball at deep midwicket, and Guptill was just turning for the second: he had no chance. It was a good throw, not a great one, and Jos did unbelievable work at the stumps.We were all running around, trying to grab each other as fast as we could. It was brilliant. That feeling didn’t stop. Even now, I still think about it.

I remember listening to Petr Cech, the former Chelsea goalkeeper, talking about the penalty shootout in the 2012 Champions League final, and how each one felt as if it was happening in slow motion. That’s how it was for me, like I was in a film. Adil Rashid and I covered the areas behind the wicket – I was at short third man – and we chatted about what we were doing. We just wanted to protect our areas.Even though Jofra got hit for six, I always felt we were going to win. For some reason, I was never worried. I knew how skilful he was: he’d missed one ball, but didn’t usually miss many. When I saw J-Roy get to the last ball quickly, all I could think was: “Get it in Jos’s hands.” The feeling when the bails came off was insane. I met Morgs on my celebratory run, and he jumped on me. It was perfect, after the way we had come through the campaign, that we were all out there on the field together.Tom Curran and Jason Roy celebrate England’s win•Getty Images

Morgs told me and Jos to get our pads on, but then there was a discussion. More thought went into the fact that the shorter boundary from the Nursery End was downhill for a left-hander. Ben had been in a long time, and had the pace of the wicket. He was exhausted, but we were saying to him: “Come on, mate, get a Red Bull down you, and get back out there.”Because I had been a member of the team that lost the World Twenty20 final when Carlos Brathwaite had his day out, at no stage did I think we had won. I knew Jof was going to try to hit the hole, and the ball was likely to come my way at cow corner. The third did, but it took a slight bobble, and I stood up too quickly as I went to collect it. I thought: “How the hell have I done that?” Maybe I was over-keen to laser it in. They pinched two.I thought I had got to the next ball quick enough to throw it to the bowler’s end. They were my nearest stumps, but not the ones I should have been aiming for: that’s what pressure does. My thinking was not as clear as it should have been. Two more.Thankfully, I found a happy medium for the final ball. I visualised it coming to me, and didn’t have the level of anxiety you might expect. I was more on edge watching it back – which I didn’t do until Christmas. For months, I had been saying to myself: “Imagine if I’d fumbled!” It would have been catastrophic – and tough to come back from.At the time, though, I knew I had to do what I had trained for. You can always overthink things: “If I don’t get this ball in, we lose.” I actually took longer to gather it than I had the previous ones – I knew that if Guptill was at that far end as I was picking it up, there was no way he was getting back.Luckily it was somewhere near Jos. I can’t remember the next few seconds very well. I set off running, then stopped, fell to my knees, and thought “Holy shhh…”.

About five minutes before our bowling over started, there were a lot of balls being thrown into mitts, and we were buzzing. Morgs asked: “What have you got for me, Rash? What do you reckon?” I told him: “Don’t worry. Allah’s with us.” “Yes, he is,” he said. Later, Morgs told me he must have been with us, because we’d had the rub of the green – although I wasn’t expecting our conversation to be revealed in the press conference, or to go viral.As we warmed up, I couldn’t stop thinking what our celebrations would be like. There was a lot of talk among the lads. Were we going to hug each other? Which direction were we going to run? Me and Mo said that, if we won, we would run to each other.I was at short fine leg, talking to Puds [Liam Plunkett] and Jos. I sensed excitement, not nerves. We knew we couldn’t let four years of hard work go to waste. At the end, it was an emotional time. Part of that, I’m sure, was because the win had not come easy. We will all cherish it for the rest of our lives.Lethal weapon: Archer bowled much of the World Cup in pain, but finished as England’s leading wicket-taker•Getty Images

Woody turned like the QE2 as he went for what would have been the winning run, and we were all wondering why he was wearing chest and thigh pads, plus an arm-guard; even he chuckled about it afterwards. There was disbelief when the scores were tied. Nobody really knew the rules. When it became clear we were having a super over, the questions started. Which end? New ball or old? Who’s bowling for them, who’s batting for us? All the batters wanted a go, but there was no disappointment: we had to remain calm.When Neesham hit that one, the crowd behind me were shouting that the ball was coming my way. They were not wrong: I watched the six fly straight over my head. The atmosphere was electric. No one could remember Lord’s that loud, ever.For the last ball, I was on the fence at deep square but, by the time Jos had taken off the bails, I had sprinted past the umpire. As soon as Jason’s pick-up was clean, I knew the throw would be fine. Suddenly we were all at the bottom of the hill going crazy. Rooty jumped on me, and started whacking me, and shouting. Joe and I have been through plenty since we first met on the Yorkshire Academy aged 12. It was amazing.

“Whatever happens will not define you as a cricketer.” I thought it was important for Jofra to hear those words from me as we walked out again. If there was anyone who understood the pressure of defending a score in a global final, it was me. After being on the receiving end of Carlos Brathwaite, I knew how things could go wrong.I was angry it had come to this, that I had not been able to finish the job in regulation time. As Mark Wood and I left the field, I kicked my bat in frustration. I told Eoin Morgan I thought Jason Roy and Jos Buttler should bat in the super over, because of the way they had played throughout the tournament. But he said he wanted a left-hand/right-hand combination. “Sweet,” I said, accepting it was a good point.It meant I had to get my game head on again. I went out the back into the toilets to separate myself from all that had gone on, and enter a different place mentally. I wanted to get rid of the feelings that had built up over a crazy couple of hours. I wanted a little bit of me time.When Jos hit the last delivery of our over through midwicket for four, I thought we’d won the World Cup there and then. I jumped in the air, arms aloft. I was going nuts, because I couldn’t see New Zealand getting 16 off Jofra.In normal circumstances, I would have been fielding at deep midwicket. But I was sore and tired, so I asked J-Roy to switch with me. The decisive moment in New Zealand’s over was not the six struck by Neesham, but a stroke of luck from the penultimate ball. Jofra bowled a bumper, and an under-edge crashed into Neesham’s boot. Instead of the ball leaking behind square leg for two, it dribbled for a single.A few seconds later, as Jofra entered his delivery stride for a perfectly executed yorker, I was 15 yards off the boundary, walking in to put pressure on the batsmen. Realising that J-Roy’s throw had beaten Martin Guptill’s dive, I pushed off on a run to join my team-mates, lost my footing and ended up on my backside. Then something weird happened: I started crying. The more I tried to stop the flow, the more the tears leaked. I never thought I would cry on a cricket field. But, on a day like that, I couldn’t have cared less.Interviews by Richard Gibson, Will Macpherson and Lawrence Booth.

A round-up of how the cricket community is reacting to the Covid-19 threat

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2020Three members of South Africa’s Women’s team and support staff have returned positive Covid-19 results after they were tested ahead of their training camp scheduled to commence on July 27. Overall, 34 individuals were tested, and those that tested positive showed mild to no symptoms, according to a Cricket South Africa media release.They have been withdrawn from training, and will self-isolate for ten days, with the CSA medical team closely monitoring their condition. The rest of the group that returned negative results will assemble in Pretoria on July 26, a day before they partake in a week-long skills-based training camp. Then, they will return to their respective provinces for individual training from August 3 to 14.There will be another round of testing for the squad and support staff ahead of a second training camp scheduled between August 16 and 27, in preparation for the proposed tour of England in September.Spike in Covid-19 cases halts Zimbabwe training campZimbabwe Cricket have decided to break their two ongoing camps in Bulawayo and Harare owing to a spike in Covid-19 cases across both cities. The training programmes had begun more than a month back with an eye on playing Afghanistan in a five-match T20I series. reported that the team’s communications manager Darlington Majonga has provided the senior men’s cricketers with regimes to follow at home.Though the players had begun training, the team was still awaiting approval from the government to host Afghanistan between July and August. However, Zimbabwe now has over 2000 confirmed cases for Covid-19. Bulawayo is the epicentre of the pandemic in Zimbabwe with 593 cases, closely followed by Harare, which has reported 579 cases. But Majonga said that the board had written to the government for final dates for the series, as the “July to August timeline was just a tentative date”. “The dates for the tour will be determined by the government’s response. We wrote to government and are waiting for their response,” he said.ICC postpones two more eventsThe ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 which serves as a qualifying round for the 2023 Men’s World Cup, and the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup regional qualifier division 2 have been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The League 2 was to be hosted by Namibia with Papua New Guinea and the United States joining the hosts, while the U-19 tournament was to be held in Tanzania from August 7 to 14, with Botswana​, Kenya​, Mozambique​, Rwanda​, and Sierra Leone joining the hosts.”With ongoing international travel restrictions, global health concerns still prominent and on government and public health authority advice in relation to COVID-19 we have decided in partnership with Members, to postpone two further qualifying events,” Chris Tetley, the ICC’s head of events said.In light of the postponement of the 2023 Men’s World Cup by about six months to allow space for qualification rounds, Tetley added: “We will now work with hosts and participating members to find a window where cricket can be safely and practically rescheduled. With this week’s ICC Board decision to hold the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in October and November of 2023, we now have been given additional time to work to reschedule the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 postponed matches and enable us to preserve the integrity of the qualification process allowing it to take place on the field of play.”The last of the League 2 matches took place in February, with matches scheduled for April cancelled as cricket came to a standstill due to the pandemic.Boult returns to trainingTrent Boult was back in training on day three of New Zealand’s camp for North Island-based players in Mount Maunganui. He had missed training on day two, as a precaution after feeling unwell. Back at the Bay Oval to train on turf along with seven of his team-mates, Boult said he was very keenly looking forward to getting the chance to play again.”I think everyone just wants to get back playing some sort of cricket,” Boult said. “There are a few guys who are heading to the CPL, which hopefully will go ahead in the coming months, and then looks like the IPL will follow that. I think guys have been caged up for a few months now and are eager to get out and play some cricket.”Boult is part of the Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2020, which is now likely to take the slot left vacant by the postponed T20 World Cup.Boult’s new-ball partner for New Zealand, Tim Southee, was also part of the training camp and said he’d consider travelling abroad to play cricket as he trusted all precautions would be taken to keep the players safe. “I think I would. I’d definitely be taking the right precautions to follow all the guidelines that are in place. I’m sure we won’t get sent somewhere where it’s not safe,” Southee said. “We’d all just have to be sensible, but I don’t have to make that decision at this stage and I’ll eagerly wait to see what unfolds over the next couple of months.”CAB office shuts for a week after staff member tests positiveThe Cricket Association of Bengal has shut its office for seven days after a non-permanent staff member of its civil engineering department tested positive for Covid-19.”He is at present admitted at Charnock Hospital,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement. “Even though he had not come to CAB for a week, on the advice of eminent doctors in the Medical Committee, we have asked all to refrain from visiting the CAB office for the next seven days and during this period, extensive sanitizing will take place keeping all safety protocols in mind.”Incidentally CAB has not opened formally and has been working sporadically with a skeleton staff essentially to meet certain statutory compliances and for clearing dues to various stakeholders.”As on Monday, West Bengal has recorded 22136 cases of Covid-19 – 6668 of which are active – and 757 deaths. Kolkata is the state’s capital.Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz to take PIA flight to England on July 3Mohammad Hafeez and five of his team-mates who have returned two successive negative Covid-19 tests to become eligible to join the rest of the Pakistan squad in England will fly out to Manchester on July 3. Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz are the other five, who, along with Hafeez, will fly from Lahore on Pakistan International Airlines.From Manchester, the six players will go to Worcester and integrate with the rest of the squad pending another round of testing by the ECB.The six players, who had been tested twice in three days, all currently in isolation at a five-star hotel in Lahore.Already, 18 squad players who returned two negatives as well as two reserve players – Musa Khan and wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir – are in Manchester for Pakistan’s tour, having flown out earlier on a chartered plane organised by the ECB. These six players could not fly out with the rest of the squad as they had initially tested positive for Covid-19, before testing negative on the retest; two negative results were required for the players to fly out to England.As part of South Africa’s efforts to bring cricket back, CSA initiated mass testing of its personnel, seven of whom were revealed to be infected with Covid-19.”We were definitely going to have people testing positive,” CSA’s acting CEO Jacques Faul told . “Having conducted over 100 tests, the number of seven is actually quite low.”CSA would not mention if there were any players among those people who tested positive for the coronavirus. “Our medical ethical protocol does not allow us to share info that could ID people that have tested positive,” Faul said.Indian Cricketers’ Association extends help to 60 cricketers’ familiesA total of 57 former players, including six women and a blind cricketer, and the widows of three former players, have received between INR 60,000 (US$800 approx.) and INR 1 lakh ($1300 approx.) – a total of Rs 78 lakh ($102,300 approx.) – as part of the newly-formed Indian Cricketers’ Association’s financial assistance programme during the Covid-19 crisis.”It’s a huge step, especially helping Mr Shekar Naik, the former captain of the Indian blind team, because that was not in our rules and regulations. But we thought that since the Indian government has honoured him and the BCCI has honoured him, why shouldn’t we,” Ashok Malhotra, the president of the association, told ESPNcricinfo. Naik led India to victories at the 2012 T20 World Cup for the blind and the 2014 World Cup for the blind.Malhotra also confirmed that a number of former players, including Dilip Vengsarkar, Arun Lal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, had made donations to help their needy colleagues. “Many other cricketers, some of them very famous, are coming forward with big and small amounts,” Malhotra said. “We have funds to help more people, and we are hoping to do that.”So far, according to Malhotra, 2800 former players have signed up with the association, and “most of them have contributed” between Rs 1000 ($13 approx.) and Rs 5 lakh ($6600 approx.), the minimum and maximum donation amounts.Sri Lanka want to be ‘best prepared team post Covid-19’Sri Lanka want to be, in the words of head coach Mickey Arthur, “the best prepared international team post Covid-19 and to be ready to play at any given time” and to that end they are heading into a second training camp that starts on June 22.An SLC press release on Thursday said 24 players and six support staff will take part in the 10-day camp. Sri Lanka had been preparing for a Test series against England when the coronavirus pandemic struck, forcing the world into lockdown. Since then the players have already been able to complete one training camp and are no gearing up for another, which will focus on their skills and their conditioning.SL training squad: Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nuwan Pradeep, Isuru Udana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Embuldeniya, Oshada Fernando, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Bhanuka RajapaksaZimbabwe players start training after testing negativeZimbabwe have become the latest team to start training after Covid-19 fallout as all 37 selected players, as well as the coaching staff, were tested negative for coronavirus.Due to lockdown restrictions in Zimbabwe, the training pool is split into small sub-groups that are practising within their provinces. On Monday, Bulawayo-based players kicked things off with a fitness test overseen by provincial coach Njabulo Ncube at the Queens Sports Club. The players will focus on strength and conditioning sessions for the first three weeks before switching to skills training.Zimbabwe are supposed to host Afghanistan in July-August for a five-match T20I series before travelling to Australia to play three ODIs.Training squad: Brian Chari, Christopher Mpofu, Ainsley Ndlovu, Charlton Tshuma, Sean Williams, Faraz Akram, Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Neville Madziva, William Mashinge, Peter Joseph Moor, Brian Mudzinganyama, Ryan Murray, Brendan Taylor, Regis Chakabva, Luke Jongwe, Wessly Madhevere, Timycen Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Prince Masvaure, Tapiwa Mufudza, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richmond Mutumbami, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Brandon Mavuta, Carl Mumba, Tendai Chisoro, Tendai Chatara, Kevin Kasuza, Donald Tiripano
Zimbabwe players to undergo tests ahead of training
Zimbabwe’s players and support staff will undergo tests for Covid-19 ahead of their return to training on June 15. According to a media release from Zimbabwe Cricket, a squad of 33 players has been put together and only those who pass the medical tests will start training from Monday.Zimbabwe are set to host Afghanistan and India for limited-overs series in July and August, subject to government approval.The players will practice in their respective provinces starting with strength and conditioning sessions for the first three weeks before turning to cricket-specific skills training.As per the ICC guidelines, the use of saliva will be prohibited and all players as well as Zimbabwe Cricket employees will be provided face masks and alcohol-based sanitisers.
Afghanistan to begin month-long training camp starting June 7
Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mohammad Shahzad are among 22 players who are going to take part in a month-long training camp organised by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in Kabul starting Sunday.The camp, an ACB release said, will be focused on “strengthening their batting, bowling and overall performance as part of their preparations for upcoming tournaments.”This camp will be held under the relevant health guidelines and in close coordination with the ICC, WHO and the ministry of public health of Afghanistan to avoid the spread of COVID-19,” the release said.On Saturday, the ACB held a Covid-19 awareness meeting for players and other relevant officials at the board’s head office to “educate them about the health guidelines to be maintained during the camp.”Afghanistan were scheduled to tour Zimbabwe and play the Asia Cup in the second half of the year but both look uncertain now, and a one-off Test in Australia’s new summer schedule is now slotted for November 21 to 25 at the Perth Stadium.Players participating in training camp: Asghar Afghan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazrathullah Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Naveen ul Haq, Shapoor Zadran, Qais Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omerzai, Samiullah Shinwari, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Sayed Shirzad, Darwish Rasooli, Zahir Khan Paktin, Farid Malik, Hamza Hotak, Sharafudin Ashraf.Kapil Dev, Murali Kartik to face off in golf fund-raiserFormer India captain Kapil Dev is set to square off against Murali Kartik, the former India left-arm spinner, in a Covid-19 golf fundraiser at the Delhi Golf Club course on July 11. The 18-hole Covid Relief Exhibition Golf Match will have Dev and Kartik, both regulars at several Pro-Am events during the season, partner Shubhankar Sharma, a two-time winner on the European Tour, and Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of one European title and nine more on the Asian Tour, reported the .

Provisional approval for Cricket Ireland to start club training
Cricket Ireland has received provisional approval from sports and health authorities for club cricket to move a step closer to limited training in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.However, restarting activity at club level is dependent on when the Irish government and the Northern Ireland executive plan their next phase of reopening, according to a release, and that the clubs undertake pre-opening protocol compliance measures. The board had made its submission to both the governments on May 22 seeking approval to restart activity.”This means that Provincial Unions and clubs can actively progress their Covid-19 safety preparation work in anticipation of each Government’s progression to Phase 2 / Step 2 of respective roadmaps to reopening,” a board release said.In the first stage, Cricket Ireland will make “information packs” and resources available to all clubs across the country starting next week which will include checklists and advice regarding training practices that comply with social distancing and health protocols.
“Our priority from the outset was to take a safety-first approach – to ensure the health of players, coaches, volunteers and families,” Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland CEO, said.”With this in mind, it’s important that we remind our club and grassroots family that the 20km radius rule still applies to club cricketers, and that the ability to restart training depends upon being able to comply with the protocols. We fully understand that it won’t feel like normal, and there will be more work than usual to implement and properly monitor hygiene protocols and social distancing, but we are sure everyone recognises their role in controlling the spread of the virus and protecting the vulnerable in our community.”There will undoubtedly be some details still to resolve during implementation, but we will provide advice on issues as they arise. If we work together on meeting these protocols, then we can begin to look towards an eventual resumption of competitive matches later in the roadmap – a scenario that seemed very distant to many just a few weeks ago.”

Reaction after Sourav Ganguly says Indian T20 event would take place on the sidelines of the IPL

Annesha Ghosh02-Aug-2020Healy, Player of the Final as Australia won the T20 World Cup earlier this year, kicked things off, saying that hosting the T20 Challenge while the WBBL would be on may not be a good idea after all. Haynes, the vice-captain of the Australia side, said that the women’s game needed its best talents on the field, and not competing in different parts of the world. The T20 Challenge would not have clashed with the WBBL if it had taken place when it was scheduled to, on the sidelines of the IPL in April-May. Now, with the IPL moving to September-November, things have changed.From the point of view of the premier Indian women cricketers, there was also the opportunity to get some match time if the white-ball tour of England hadn’t been cancelled. That was due in July-August, but after it was postponed, the ECB had suggested playing a tri-series also involving South Africa in September. The BCCI, however, opted out.India ODI captain, Raj, meanwhile welcomed the news as a start to preparations for the ODI World Cup, the planning for which, the ICC has said, continues even as further assessments are made by NZC. Goswami, who, like Raj, represents India only in ODIs, expressed her eagerness to get back to playing, as did Poonam Yadav. Aside from the T20 Challenge, BCCI’s cricket operations team is working out a schedule where India Women are likely to have two full-fledged white-ball series against South Africa and West Indies before playing the ODI World Cup in New Zealand next year, according to PTI.
As reported by ESPNcricinfo last week, at least three top-drawer India players were WBBL-bound, pending no-objection certificates from the BCCI. Healy wondered about overseas players’ participation in both tournaments now that there’s a clear clash in the scheduling. New Zealand veteran Suzie Bates also joined in the debate. Bates, along with her compatriots Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu, have been a part of both editions of the T20 Challenge so far. Devine and Bates were also part of runners-up Adelaide Strikers at the WBBL last season, and the former is set to sign up with the Perth Scorchers this year. And then there’s a third domestic tournament: the Hundred. Although Covid-19 has pushed back the inaugural edition of the English 100-ball competition – both men’s and women’s – to 2021, Charlotte Edwards stressed that the health of the women’s game depended on all three domestic tournaments co-existing. Jess Jonassen, the Australia allrounder who was recently named two-time defending champions Brisbane Heat’s captain, also weighed in. A last-minute stalemate between the BCCI and Cricket Australia in the lead-up to the T20 Challenge last year had led to the Australians missing out on the Indian tournament. The Indian players, meanwhile, could not participate in the WBBL last season as they focussed on preparing for the T20 World Cup instead, with assignments against South Africa and West Indies. The last thing players from both countries would want is another standoff between the two boards.