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World Cup-winning captain becomes tenth incumbent of prestigious role

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2024Eoin Morgan, England’s World Cup-winning captain, has been appointed as the new President of the Professional Cricketers’ Association.Morgan, 37, captained England to victory in the 2019 World Cup and retired in 2022 after more than 350 international appearances across formats. He will succeed the outgoing president Charlotte Edwards, to become the role’s tenth incumbent.During his time as England captain, Morgan sat on the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) Management Board.”Having been a PCA member for 19 years, it gives me an overwhelming sense of gratitude and honour to be provided this prestigious opportunity,” Morgan said.”As we navigate through an ever-changing landscape of cricket, the role of the PCA is even more critical. We must ensure that the organisation adapts and innovates to safeguard the evolving needs of our players, to enable them to thrive on and off the field.”I am also looking forward to supporting the Professional Cricketers’ Trust which has always been close to my heart and will hopefully enable me to give something back to the game.”PCA Chair, James Harris, said: “What Eoin Morgan has achieved for England cricket is indisputable. As a former teammate, Eoin understands the challenges and the opportunities that are ahead of us and I look forward to working with him again.”PCA Chief Executive, Rob Lynch, added: “I would like to congratulate Eoin on his election as PCA President and pay tribute to the outgoing Charlotte Edwards MBE for her work over the last three years.”I have personally known Eoin for many years and have been inspired by his leadership, calming influence and knowledge of all aspects of cricket. I very much look forward to seeking his wise counsel as we continue to navigate the changing nature of the game to ensure the player voice is represented in the many debates that lie ahead.”I could not think of any player with more global experience than Eoin to help us achieve our goals.”

Diann Campbell and Louise Victor-Frederick have joined as new appointees, while Debra Coryat-Patton returns

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2024CWI has appointed three women to the board as independent directors, for a one-year period ending in March 2025. Diann Campbell and Louise Victor-Frederick have joined as new appointees, while Debra Coryat-Patton, who served in the role from 2019 to 2021, returns.Campell is a distinguished Jamaican cricket administrator with nearly three decades of experience. A board release said that “her expertise in cricket administration, corporate governance, and organisational development will greatly benefit CWI’s strategic initiatives”.Victor-Frederick is a seasoned branding and communications strategist from Saint Lucia. Coryat-Patton, will bring “invaluable legal expertise to the CWI Board,” the release said.In addition to these appointments, Barbadian entrepreneur Hallam Nichols has been reappointed as an independent director, and he also serves on the CWI stakeholders relations committee.”Since the beginning, I’ve advocated for diversity and inclusion within CWI to ensure fairness both on and off the field,” CWI President Kishore Shallow said. “This appointment is a natural progression of our ongoing commitment.””Their diverse backgrounds, extensive experience, and unwavering commitment to excellence will undoubtedly strengthen our organization and contribute to the advancement of cricket in the West Indies.”Shallow also thanked the outgoing independent directors: “I wish to express gratitude to Manniram Prashad and Gail Mathurin for their contributions and service to West Indies Cricket. We anticipate their continued involvement and impact in other capacities.”

Despite the ten-wicket loss, USA took home the series by a 2-1 margin

Mohammad Isam25-May-2024Mustafizur Rahman’s career-best 6 for 10 backed up by an unbeaten century-stand between Tanzid Hasan and Soumya Sarkar helped Bangladesh claim a resounding ten-wicket win over USA in the third and final T20I in Dallas. It brought down the series margin to 2-1 for USA, who would nonetheless celebrate a milestone performance.Mustafizur’s six-for – the first time a Bangladesh bowler claimed a six-wicket haul in T20Is – restricted USA to 104 for 9. In reply, Tanzid and Sarkar added 108 runs in just 11.5 overs to take Bangladesh home. This was Mustafizur’s second six-for in white-ball cricket after his 6 for 43 against India in an ODI in 2015.Apart from Mustafizur, wristspinner Rishad Hossain also bowled brilliantly conceding just seven runs in his four overs and picking a wicket. This was Bangladesh’s most economical T20I spell (minimum four overs). Before both of these milestones though, Shakib Al Hasan reached a unique feat, too.

Shakib takes his 700th wicket

Having secured the series, USA rested four first-choice players in Monank Patel, Steven Taylor, Harmeet Singh and Ali Khan. They got off to a blazing start after being sent in, with Shayan Jahangir creaming Hasan Mahmud for two fours in the second over before Andries Gous launched Shakib for a huge six over midwicket. Gous then took a liking to Tanzim Hasan Sakib, hitting him twice through point and cover, in between a beautiful flick shot.Gous finished the fourth over with another four through fine leg. After Jahangir lofted Shakib for his first six next over, Najmul Hossain Shanto dropped Gous on 23. He smacked the next ball for four, but Shakib finally removed Gous in the same over. He made 27 off 15 balls, becoming Shakib’s 700th international wicket. Shakib became the 17th cricketer to reach the milestone but the first to get to the mark with 14000-plus runs under his belt.The USA team poses with the trophy after the historic series win•USA Cricket

Rishad sparks USA slowdown

Jahangir was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay caught at deep square leg off Mustafizur. Nitish Kumar and Milind Kumar could only add ten runs in 3.5 overs before Mustafizur broke this stand in the 10th over when Nitish was caught behind for 3.Rishad meanwhile kept things tight at the other end. Milind was his only wicket, getting caught in the deep leg-side boundary after a painstaking 7 off 20 balls. Before Milind’s wicket, Tanzim had removed stand-in USA captain Aaron Jones in the 12th over, when he half-heartedly struck a pull shot down Rishad’s throat at the deep square-leg boundary.

USA fizzle to Fizz

When Shadley van Schalkwyk struck Mahmudullah for a four through long-on, it was USA’s first boundary in 10.5 overs. Corey Anderson then hit Tanzim for a four and six in the next over and it looked like the home side were warming up for a fast finish.Mustafizur put paid to those thoughts removing both van Schalkwyk and Anderson in the 18th over. Bowling from the around-the-wicket angle to both left-handers, he first got one to slide away from van Schalkwyk to hit the top of his off stump while Anderson chopped one onto his stumps for 18. Mustafizur then delivered a yorker through Jasdeep Singh’s legs in the last over, before getting Nisarg Patel to slice one at point for his sixth wicket.

Tanzid, Soumya ease the nerves

Bangladesh motored along through the powerplay as USA struggled without their three first-choice bowlers. Tanzid slapped two Saurabh Netravalkar half-volleys for fours through the covers. Soumya survived two mistimed shots in between a four and a six in van Schalkwyk’s first over before Tanzid went after Jasdeep and Milind in the next two overs. The pair struck one four each in Nitish’s over, and then one six each off NetravalkarTanzid reached his third T20I fifty in the 11th over before his second six got the partnership to three figures. Soumya played the perfect foil with his unbeaten 43 off 28 balls with two sixes. The pair put on their second century stand in 15 days.

Fortunately for them, and the IPL in general, KKR’s next game is only on Saturday, almost a week’s gap from their last outing

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2024The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) contingent, travelling from Lucknow to Kolkata following their last IPL 2024 game against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), finally landed in Kolkata on Tuesday* after torrential rains in the east of the country prevented their flight from landing on Monday.Details provided by the KKR media team said that they left Lucknow at 5.45pm IST, and they were scheduled to land at 7.25pm. An update at 8.46pm said, “Due to inclement weather over Kolkata, the KKR charter flight has been diverted to Guwahati. We’ve just landed here.” Then, at 9.43pm, “We’ve got clearance to fly back to Kolkata now, from Guwahati. Estimated arrival at 11pm.”That would have been that, except that another message, this one at 1.15am, confirmed that things hadn’t gone smoothly at all. “[The] flight took off from Guwahati to Kolkata, was scheduled to land at 11pm. [But it] couldn’t land once again due to bad weather, despite several attempts. [It was] diverted mid-air to Varanasi now. Just landed here.”And finally, at 3am, “The team would be checking into Varanasi hotel [Taj Ganges] for overnight stay. Return flight to Kolkata TBD on Tuesday (7 May) afternoon.” The flight is expected to leave Varanasi at 1.15pm on Tuesday.Fortunately for them, and the IPL in general, KKR’s next game is only on Saturday, almost a week’s gap from their last outing, when they beat LSG by a whopping 98 runs to reach the No. 1 spot on the IPL 2024 points table. On Saturday, they take on Mumbai Indians at home at Eden Gardens, before finishing off their league engagements in Ahmedabad (vs Gujarat Titans on May 13) and Guwahati (vs Rajasthan Royals on May 19).There was torrential rain in Kolkata, which had recorded record-high temperatures over the past few days and weeks, on Monday, with images on news broadcasts and those shared on social media showing waterlogged streets. *12.00pm GMT: The piece was updated with information on KKR’s arrival in Kolkata

Only five overs possible as Durham start strongly at Trent Bridge

ECB Reporters Network15-Jun-2024Torrential rain scuppered any chance of Notts Outlaws building on Friday’s first win of the season, forcing their North Group clash with Durham to be abandoned with just five overs possible at Trent Bridge.Wet weather early in the day meant the scheduled 2.30pm start was put back to 4pm, with the intention to stage a contest of 17 overs per side.Outlaws skipper Joe Clarke won the toss and elected to bowl first, after which Durham openers Alex Lees and Graham Clark enjoyed a flying start, putting on 58, of which 28 came in two overs from England paceman Olly Stone.Clark picked up two boundaries in Stone’s opening over and another two in his second, before pulling a huge six into the Fox Round stand.New Zealand left-armer Ben Lister completed the fifth over of the Durham innings – the minimum each side must face to constitute a match – but then rain returned with a vengeance, accompanied by thunder and lightning.It was a short-lived storm, barely lasting a quarter of an hour, but it deposited so much water on a playing area with little capacity to absorb more that umpires Paul Baldwin and James Middlebrook had no option but to call the game off, ironically during the sunniest weather of the day.The Outlaws, who had broken their duck for the season against Worcestershire on Friday night by exceeding their DLS target by one run in another rain-affected contest, take another point for a no-result.Bottom of the table with only three points at the halfway stage, the Outlaws would seem to have little chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages. Yet in an open group in which no team apart from leaders Lancashire Lightning has more than six points, a string of wins in the second half of the season could still see them go through.The same applies to Durham, third from bottom but on five points only one behind second-placed Yorkshire Vikings.

The new feature will kick in for the 16th and 17th overs of the innings, during which only four fielders will be allowed outside the ring

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2024Matches at LPL 2024 will feature two additional powerplay overs at the death. The two “power-blast overs”, which will be the 16th and 17th overs of each completed innings, will have a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard circle. This is in addition to the usual powerplay in the first six, where only two fielders are allowed outside the circle.The new feature is designed to create “a more aggressive and thrilling phase of the game”, according to a LPL statement. “We decided to bring this innovation in order to create further excitement for the league, which is growing year by year,” Samantha Dodanwela, the LPL’s tournament director, said in the statement. “This new introduction is sure to generate a lot of excitement among the fans, and the teams will need to strategise effectively to make the most of this period.”Outside of the two sets of power overs, a maximum of five fielders, as per normal, can be in the outfield.LPL 2024 will run from July 1 to 21, clashing in large part with the USA’s Major League Cricket. The latter will feature more high-profile overseas names; the LPL has traditionally struggled to attract foreign talent, given the money on offer, but enjoys some popularity among local fans.The 2024 season, the fifth edition of the tournament, will comprise 20 league matches between five franchises, followed by three playoffs and the final. Each team will play each other twice in the league stage, before four of the five teams make the playoffs.Among the teams is Dambulla’s new franchise, Dambulla Sixers. The Dambulla team’s change in ownership was announced earlier this month, after Sri Lanka Cricket was forced to terminate the previous franchise because one of the co-owners – Tamim Rahman – was arrested by Sri Lanka police under the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act.

Says he sees himself playing the T20 format longer than the other two

Andrew McGlashan20-Aug-2024Steven Smith has not ruled out the possibility of pushing to represent Australia at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles with T20 likely to be a format he keeps playing longer than others although he has no retirement plans in his mind.Smith has signed a new three-year deal with Sydney Sixers in the BBL, which means he will be playing professional cricket until at least 2026-27. But he would need to force his way back into Australia’s T20 set-up were he to be realistic about the Olympics the following year having been omitted for this year’s T20 World Cup.”I could still be playing T20 cricket in four years, so you never know,” he said. “It’s a format I can see myself playing probably for a lot longer than some of the others, especially with the franchise stuff around the world. I’ve signed on here for three years so it’s only another year after that. It would be cool to be part of an Olympics.”Related

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But as far as the various international formats go, it remains the status quo for Smith. “I don’t have any plans,” he said. “I’m just enjoying playing at the moment, I’m pretty relaxed and looking forward to this summer.”Of more immediate significance for Smith is the upcoming international schedule. He will return to action in the ODIs in England next month (having again been left out for the T20Is) before the main event of India’s visit. Amid the conjecture around whether he will remain Australia’s Test opener, Smith is relishing the prospect of facing India over a five-match series.1:42

Smith happy to open or bat at No. 4 against India

It will be the first time the two teams have taken on each other across five Tests since 1991-92 although there has been no shortage of drama in the four-match contests in recent times. Australia are aiming to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in ten years, having not beaten India since the 2014-15 series on home soil.”You can’t really hide in a five-Test series like you probably can in a two-match series for instance,” Smith said. “If someone gets the wood on you, it can be hard coming back from that. It’s going to be a wonderful series.”We are probably the two best teams at the moment in Test cricket. We played the World Test Championship final last year and beat them there. They’ve been great out here the last couple of times, they’ve played really good cricket, hopefully we can turn the tables. It’s been ten years since we last won the Border-Gavaskar trophy so need to do that this year.”If Australia retain the batting order they have had since David Warner’s retirement in January, Smith will be opening against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj. Smith, who has a chance to pass 10,000 runs this summer, was elevated up the order when he told the selectors he was keen for the role. It also allowed Cameron Green to return at a more natural No. 4 but results were mixed for Smith across four Tests with 171 runs at 28.50 although that included a superb unbeaten 91 against West Indies.It is likely to be a topic that will dominate the next few months with Smith set to have some Sheffield Shield cricket before the India series.”The conversations I’ve had so far is that we’ll go to England… I’m there for the one-dayers, then make a decision after that,” he said. “There’s conversations happening in the background. You see some comments that guys like Usman [Khawaja] has said he likes me down at No. 4, think Marnus is of a similar thought pattern. We’ll wait and see. I’m happy to bat anywhere.”For me, it’s just a position. Batting at four, I could be in after the first two balls. I’ve been in early on many occasions and faced the new ball. For me, it’s kind of just a number. I batted at three for a long period of time as well and we lost wickets inside the first over and I’ll come out and score runs. The only real thing I had to get used to was how quick a turnaround it is when you come off the field and you only have ten minutes, particularly with the amount of mucking around I have in the changing rooms.”

A day on from his silky hundred against Bangladesh, the India allrounder explains how he approaches batting and bowling differently

Alagappan Muthu20-Sep-20241:15

Ashwin: ‘Jadeja and I enjoying each other’s success more than ever before’

Allrounders often tend to draw from doing well in one discipline to do well in the other but there is perhaps a chance that R Ashwin’s primary skill might have held back his secondary one.”Bowling and batting are very separate sports in the same game,” Ashwin said after the second day of the Chennai Test between India and Bangladesh. “One is done consciously. The other one is done subconsciously. So, for me, to compartmentalise both has taken its own due.”He scored 113 off 133 balls that helped the hosts post 376 in the first innings. The bowlers then ran through Bangladesh, knocking them over for 149 and taking almost complete control of the proceedings.Related

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Ashwin walked in at 144 for 6 and immediately put what he has learned over a long career into practice: that with the bat in hand, he needs to be an entirely different person from the one who has gone on to become one of the greatest spinners in history.”At this stage, I am able to sequence that and split both of them and see as a cricketer. So, when I walked there [to bat] the only thing I wanted to do was to settle down my game. The mind can play tricks because I am a bowler who plays on 12, 18, 24 balls ahead when I am sequencing it. As a batter, I shouldn’t do that. I just use my experience when I get in. So, now it’s more about just focusing on the ball and hitting it as I see it.”This was Ashwin’s second successive century at his home ground, Chepauk, following on from a 106 against England in similar circumstances in 2021. He wasn’t quite able to pick which one he liked better.”I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game”•BCCI

“Both. [The England Test] had so much riding on it. We lost the first one and came to the second. Last time when I played at Chennai, I felt like I was making sort of a comeback in more than one way. I was a little here and there. I went to Australia and came back here. That was different and I enjoyed it. I think my batting has come along a lot better since that particular game. I worked quite a lot on how I can maximise my shots, maximise my game. I worked on how I can play fast bowling and all that sort of stuff. I’m glad it’s coming out nicely.”Ashwin does this – pushing himself even at 38 with 500 wickets already in the bag – for a very simple reason.”Happiness. You want to be good. You excel. You feel happy at the end of the day. It drives me towards that. Every time I do well, it leaves me in a good, happy state of mind. That’s what you get on this journey for. You want to do well. You want to excel on the global stage. People are watching you and you feel happy about it.”There was a time, though, when Ashwin couldn’t find a way to play his cricket with this kind of freedom. “I was critical of myself earlier but not much now because I have already put so much pressure on myself. Not only did I put myself under pressure, but there was pressure from outside too. I used to find happiness in answering my critics with my performance, or in the press conference. But that’s not the case now. The most important thing for me these days is to enjoy my game, by staying in the moment, by playing my cricket with a smile on my face. Four-five years ago, I made a promise to myself, with great difficulty, that I would not respond to anyone from then on and would play for my own happiness. And I have maintained that to date.”As is often the case with his bowling, Ashwin had Jadeja as his partner for the course of a match-turning 199-run seventh-wicket stand.”You don’t plan for such things. Jaddu is one cricketer who has evolved so nicely. I always envy him. I have made that amply clear. So gifted, so talented. He has found ways to maximise his potential. Keeps it really simple. He can repeat it day in and day out. I wish I could be him but I am glad I am myself. He is an exceptionally good cricketer. I am happy for him. Likewise, in so many ways, watching him bat over the last couple of years has given me insight into how [much] better I can be. Both of us have grown together. Both of us have done some special things. We really value one another at this stage. Both of us are enjoying each other’s success more than ever before.”

Club unmoved by concern over empty stands against Sri Lanka, citing higher demand

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2024Ticket prices for next year’s Lord’s Test against India have risen once again, despite Marylebone Cricket Club coming in for severe criticism for the cost of entry to this summer’s Test against Sri Lanka.For the first three days of the India Test, which begins on July 10 next year, the cheapest adult tickets on offer are restricted-view seats for £90 each (£20 for under-16s). Those with a clear line of sight are priced between £120-£175 (£40-£50 for under-16s).These prices compare unfavourably with last month’s Test against Sri Lanka, for which the cost of unrestricted views ranged from £115-£140 for adults and £15-£40 for concessions.That Sri Lanka contest concluded on the fourth day, for which just 9,000 tickets (approx one-third capacity) were sold. This was, in part, a reflection of England’s current fast-paced approach to Test cricket, with several recent contests being wrapped up well in advance of the final day.MCC came under further criticism for failing to offer any reduced-entry options until after tea on that fourth day, when the price fell to £15 for adults and £5 for under-16s. By then, however, there were just three Sri Lanka wickets left to fall, and the lack of advance notice further prevented a significant take-up.Related

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Speaking in the aftermath of the Test, England’s stand-in captain Ollie Pope said that the subdued atmosphere had been noted by his team.”It was just like ‘jeez, it seems quiet today’,” he said. “I’m not sure if people expected the game to be done by day four or not. It’s a shame it wasn’t a full house because it was obviously a good day’s play.”Despite Guy Lavender, the chief executive and secretary of MCC, announcing that the club would be conducting a review into its fourth-day pricing policy, there is little concession for fans who hope to attend on that day for next year’s India Test. Under-16s will be admitted for £25, half the cost of the first three days, but tickets with a full view will still cost £90-£150.MCC’s rationale is that India are now the second-biggest draw in the English Test calendar, behind Australia, and the prices reflect the likely demand, which is in line with the policy adopted by other sports. The top-priced tickets for the 2023 Ashes Test were £170, which the club argues represents a below-inflation increase of £5.Lord’s is also due to host the World Test Championship final in June, which is currently on course to be contested between India and Australia, a rematch of the 2023 final at the Kia Oval. Tickets for that match are set between £70-130 for adults and £20-£50 for under-16s.England and India are also due to play a women’s ODI at Lord’s in 2025, for which adult tickets will be available for between £25 and £45. The men’s ODI against South Africa, on the other hand, will cost between £75 and £150.

India’s T20I captain is also enthused by the presence of flexible batters and bowlers in his team

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2024Building a selfless team has been a key takeaway for India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav after his side swept Bangladesh 3-0 on a record-breaking day in Hyderabad. This was the second successive series sweep for Suryakumar and coach Gautam Gambhir since they took charge of the team in the shortest format.On Saturday, it was Sanju Samson who best exemplified India’s selfless and fearless approach with the bat. From 62 off 29 balls, he zoomed to 92 off 35 balls with a sensational sequence of 6,6,6,6,6 in the tenth over bowled by wristspinner Rishad Hossain. Then when he was on 96, he drilled offspinner Mahedi Hasan over his head for a 40-ball hundred – the second fastest by an Indian in T20Is. Samson’s blitz set India up for 297 for 6 – the second-highest total in men’s T20Is.”I think we have achieved a lot as a team,” Suryakumar told the host broadcaster during the post-series presentation. “Most importantly as I said at the start of the series, I want to have selfless cricketers in my team. We want to be a selfless team and as Hardik [Pandya] said, we want to just enjoy each others’ performance on the field and off the field and spend as much time as possible and that camaraderie is carrying on the field and we’re having some fun.”The chat around the team has been like that. Gauti said the same thing at the start of the series and when we went to Sri Lanka as well: ‘no one is bigger than the team’. If you’re at 99 or 49 or anything, if you feel you’ve to hit the ball out of the park for the team, you have to hit it and Sanju did the same thing. Really happy for him.”Related

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With some Test players getting a break ahead of the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand, India rejigged their combination, packing their side with allrounders. In the second and third T20Is, Suryakumar used as many as seven bowling options. India’s team management has similarly asked their batters to be flexible. Nitish Kumar Reddy, one of the debutants in this series, was promoted to No.4 in the second game and he responded with 74 off 34 balls, in what was only his second international innings, after India had been reduced to 41 for 3 within the powerplay.”We’ve to be very flexible when it comes to batting and bowling as well,” Suryakumar said. “Everyone has to chip in with few overs who can and batters have to be very flexible. The way they showed it in the series was very commendable.”Just [have to] maintain the good habits and continue that on the field and just be the same.”India’s next T20I assignment is a four-match series in South Africa, which will run from November 8 to November 15, overlapping with the Test team’s prep of the Australia tour, which kicks off with the first game in Perth from November 22.