The first standalone WBBL begins on Friday. Here are how the teams stack up

Alex Malcolm and Andrew McGlashan16-Oct-2019

Adelaide Strikers

Squad Darcie Brown, Tegan McPharlin, Alex Price, Annie O’Neil, Sarah Coyte, Katie Mack, Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Bridget Patterson, Ellie Falconer, Megan Schutt, Tahlia McGrath, Stafanie Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tabatha Saville2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?They began with victory against eventual champions the Brisbane Heat, but struggled for consistency until the backend if the group stage where they secured three victories in a row – including a Super Over win against the Hobart Hurricanes – but it was too late to make the knockouts. That was despite having two of the five highest run-scorers in Sophie Devine and Suzie BatesPlayer to watchAllrounder Tahlia McGrath was part of Australia’s Test and ODI side but has not featured since 2017 although is a current member of the national performance squad. Last season she was the Strikers’ third-highest run-scorer behind Devine and Bates and if she can increase her output from the 276 runs made in 2018-19 it will help take the pressure off the New Zealand pair.

Brisbane Heat

Brisbane Heat became the first non-Sydney team to win the WBBL•Getty Images

Squad Kirby Short (capt), Haidee Birkett, Maddy Green, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Jess Jonassen, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Charli Knott, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Georgia Prestwidge, Courtney Sippel2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?Ended the Sydney Sixers’ quest for a hat-trick of titles with a three-wicket win in the final where Beth Mooney battled the heat for a matchwinning 65 then they held their nerve amid a late wobble. Their semi-final win over the Sydney Thunder had been a thriller as well with Haidee Birkett holding a stunning catch to secure victory. Mooney had an excellent tournament with the bat, making 486 runs, while Delissa Kimmince was the leading wicket-taker with 22.Player to watchLast season Grace Harris smashed the fastest WBBL hundred off just 42 balls against the Melbourne Stars and overall she was the Heat’s second-highest scorer behind Mooney. Her strike-rate of 148.41 was the highest of the tournament. There were also 16 wickets at an economy rate of under six in a stellar tournament. And that’s before we even mention the times she is on the mic in the field.

Hobart Hurricanes

Heather Knight will be a key figure in the Hobart Hurricanes’ batting•Getty Images

Squad Nicola Carey, Stefanie Daffara, Erin Fazackerley, Katelyn Fryett, Maisy Gibson, Corinne Hall (capt), Brooke Hepburn, Heather Knight, Hayley Matthews, Sasha Moloney, Meg Phillips, Emily Smith, Chloe Tryon, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck, Fran Wilson2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?The Hurricanes made the semi-finals in the first two seasons of the WBBL but have been the competition anchors in the last two years. Last season they won just two matches and also lost two Super Overs. West Indies star Hayley Matthews only managed two games before being injured and India’s Smriti Mandhana managed just two half-centuries in 13 games. The Hurricanes did score more runs than any other team but they conceded more runs than any other side as well. They had real trouble containing opposition sides and they have made a concerted effort in the off-season to bolster the bowling stocks.Player to watch Tayla Vlaeminck has made the move to Tasmania alongside fellow Australia player Nicola Carey. Vlaeminck hasn’t shown her best form at WBBL level yet due to a multitude of injury issues but her performances for Australia recently suggest she could have a huge tournament. She has taken wickets in each of her last five international matches and has conceded under six runs an over. She will be the fastest bowler in the tournament and will give the Hurricanes some real strike-power upfront.

Melbourne Renegades

Sophie Molineux celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Squad Tammy Beaumont, Makinley Blows, Maitlan Brown, Josie Dooley, Jess Duffin (capt), Erica Kershaw, Claire Koski, Carly Leeson, Sophie Molineux, Courtney Neale, Molly Strano, Lea Tahuhu, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Danni Wyatt2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?The Renegades fell agonisingly short of the final. Sophie Molineux firstly went within millimetres of finding the match-winning boundary off the last ball of the semi-final and then she was inches short of the winning third run after her full stretch dive was just beaten by Alyssa Healy’s direct hit. The Renegades did only just scrape into the semis, though, winning seven games for the season. Their attack was their biggest weapon last year with the spin trio of Molly Strano, Georgia Wareham, and Molineux complemented by the speed of Lea Tahuhu and the consistency of Maitlan Brown. But their batting was too heavily reliant on Molineux, who scored three of the Renegades’ six half-centuries for the season, including her brilliant innings in the semi-final.Player to watchAllrounder Sophie Molineux is again the Renegades key player and with the absence of Amy Satterthwaite her runs will be even more important. She will get more support at the top of the order with the signing of senior England batter Tammy Beaumont. Molineux will be pushing to be part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad and runs and wickets will put her right in the frame.

Melbourne Stars

Lizelle Lee waits to swat one away on a way to a hundred•Getty Images

Squad Kristen Beams, Lucy Cripps, Mignon du Preez, Nicole Faltum, Holly Ferling, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Emma Inglis, Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Katey Martin, Erin Osborne, Angela Reakes, Annabel Sutherland, Elyse Villani (capt)2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?The Stars started the season with a bang thanks to Lizelle Lee’s stunning century on the opening day, and they won their first two matches, but their batting really fell away badly as they struggled to make winning scores. The South African pair of Lee and Mignon du Preez reached 50 just once each which meant their relatively inexperienced attack didn’t have much to work with. Legspinner Kristen Beams, who has announced she will retire after this season, was only available for six games which made their task even harder and they only managed five wins for the season.Player to watchElyse Villani returning home to Melbourne after a stint in Perth is a huge boost for the Stars. She takes over as captain and is very highly regarded as a leader but her batting will be where she can make the biggest impact. She was the sixth leading runscorer in the WBBL last season and only played 11 games. She has also been out of favour at international level and will be looking to push her case for the T20 World Cup having not played a T20I since the 2018 World Cup final in the West Indies.

Perth Scorchers

Perth Scorchers will be able to call on Australia captain Meg Lanning•Getty Images

Squad Jemma Barsby, Samantha Betts, Nicole Bolton, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Kath Hempenstall, Amy Jones, Emma King, Meg Lanning (capt), Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Georgia Redmayne, Nat Sciver2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?The much-vaunted Scorchers were arguably the biggest disappointments of WBBL04. Despite the star power in the top-order, they were unable to make the finals for the first time. Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton missed 13 games between them which did test the Scorchers’ depth from a batting perspective, but they really struggled with the ball. Heather Graham took 22 wickets in a season where she was named domestic player of the year but Bolton’s 12 wickets from 11 games with her part-time offspin was the next best contributor, and she was the only bowler with an economy rate under seven.Player to watchNicole Bolton will be important for the Scorchers. She has taken a step back from international cricket for the time being to focus on her mental health and she has enjoyed the domestic environment with Western Australia, scoring two WNCL half-centuries to start the season. Lanning will be the key wicket for opposition teams and that may allow Bolton to play with some freedom. Her offspin will be useful again, as she is particularly adept at bowling in the powerplay.

Sydney Sixers

Alyssa Healy’s maiden T20I century landed her a world record•Getty Images

Squad Sarah Aley, Alisha Bates, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jodie Hicks, Emma Hughes, Marizanne Kapp, Ellyse Perry, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Dane van Niekerk, Lauren Smith2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?Pipped in the final by the Heat after the semi-final for the ages against the Renegades when the relay run out between Erin Burns, Sarah Aley and Alyssa Healy became one of the moments of the season. A stellar top order produced three individuals hundreds – two from Ellyse Perry and one for Healy – supplemented by further international class in Ashleigh Gardner, Erin Burns and Dane van Niekerk. Perry’s tally of 777 runs was a new WBBL record.Player to watchIt may seem obvious to pick out Ellyse Perry, but the strength of Australia’s top order means she hasn’t been needed much with the bat in recent times. Back on the domestic scene she can expect to be at the top of the order with the chance to set the tone for the innings. The Sixers aren’t short on bowling options, either, but Perry will be looking to increase on her return of 10 wickets in 16 matches at last year’s tournament.

Sydney Thunder

Nida Dar bowls•IDI/Getty Images

Squad Rachael Haynes, Sam Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nida Dar, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Lisa Griffith, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachel Priest, Kate Peterson, Naomi Stalenberg, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson2018-19 statsWhat happened last season?Finished second in the league stage and when Nicole Carey connected with her swing into the leg side off the final ball of the semi-final against the Heat it looked as though they were destined for the final, only for Haidee Birkett to grab the brilliant catch on the boundary. Rachael Haynes led the batting impressively with 376 runs with Stafanie Taylor, who this season will play for the Strikers, taking 19 wickets and contributing 212 runs.Player to watchIt remains to be seen how often she makes the startling XI, but 16-year-old Phoebe Litchfield is an undoubted star of the future. Earlier this year a video posted by the NSW Breakers of her batting in the nets gained considerable attention and over the last 12 months she has scored her maiden first grade century, made her debut for the Breakers and been selected for Australia Under-19s and the Governor General’s XI.

T20I format comes to fore as England look to maintain attacking white-ball approach

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2019England’s build-up towards the 2020 T20 World Cup will begin in earnest this week, with the start of their five-match series against New Zealand, and Jonny Bairstow hopes the squad can channel the momentum of 50-over success into next year’s campaign in Australia.England lifted the World Cup for the first time in July, having overhauled their ODI cricket under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan. Although there has been less of a focus on T20 cricket, England did reach the World T20 final in 2016 and the core personnel in the white-ball teams is largely the same.In New Zealand, Morgan will oversee a squad featuring several new faces looking to make a mark. Bairstow is one of the senior batsmen on the tour, with Jason Roy, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali all rested, and after top-scoring in England’s warm-up victory in Lincoln on Sunday, he was excited about the challenge ahead.”I think it does feel like the start of that journey towards the T20 World Cup,” Bairstow said. “It’s going to come around thick and fast. Seeing guys who’ve played county cricket taking the step up to international cricket is going to be fascinating. That, coupled with the guys that are not on this tour but will come back into the team, there’s going to be competition for places.

England XI for 2nd T20 warm-up

Dawid Malan, Tom Banton, James Vince, Eoin Morgan, Joe Denly, Sam Billings (wk), Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Pat Brown, Matt Parkinson

“The cycle for the 50-over World Cup started four years ago. Hopefully we’re fortunate enough that the way we’ve played our 50-over cricket will lead us well into our T20 cricket.”It’s a fascinating period to be playing cricket for England. There’s some very, very talented guys that have played a lot of cricket now
for England that are all together and have the experience of going through the ups, the downs and everything in between.”While the T20I format tends to lose context between major global tournaments – England’s last outing, against Pakistan in May, saw Ben Duckett open the batting and Ben Foakes take the gloves – there is now a clear 12-month run-in for teams to hone their approach. Bairstow is one of a number of England players to have benefited from the ECB hierarchy relaxing its stance on IPL participation, and he suggested the Hundred could also increase Morgan’s options.”You’ve got guys playing T20 in competitions around the world whether that be the Indian Premier League, Big Bash or whatever it may be, so I’m not too sure it’s going to make too much of a difference,” Bairstow said.”Then you’ve got the Hundred that’s starting next year so that’s an even shorter format that will allow people to put their skills on show to potentially push for that squad.”The tour will also bring together many of the same players that contested the 50-over World Cup final during the English summer, on an emotionally draining day at Lord’s. New Zealand’s defeat on boundary countback is likely to gain a mention, even if there are no ODIs scheduled, and Bairstow said they were wary of the hosts’ qualities – despite captain Kane Williamson missing the series through injury.”They’re dangerous no matter what,” he said. “We’ll be expecting a very tough challenge and that’s every time you play against New Zealand because they’ve got quality all the way through. They are a great bunch of fellas but naturally what happened at Lord’s is going to be quite tough for those guys and there will be a fire in their belly and a hunger to put things right.”England could also draw inspiration from watching the rugby team see off the All Blacks in Japan on Saturday morning, setting up the possibility of more World Cup glory at New Zealand’s expense.”We all watched it at the team hotel and it was amazing to see,” Bairstow said. “To say you’ve watched the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand when England were playing New Zealand is pretty cool. Two England World Cup-winning teams in one year would be special, wouldn’t it?”

Hampshire batsman underwent surgery this week following injury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2019Aneurin Donald is set to miss the whole of the 2020 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).Donald, the 22-year-old batsman, joined Hampshire from Glamorgan towards the end of the 2018 domestic season, and impressed in his first full season at the club, hitting a 144-ball 173 against Warwickshire in the Championship and regularly scoring quickly at the start of a T20 innings.But after suffering the injury to his ACL last week, Donald underwent an operation this week, and Hampshire physio James Clegg confirmed that his is expected to miss most of the upcoming domestic season.”Thanks to all the doctors/nurses/surgeons who have looked after me the past week or so,” Donald posted on Instagram. “Long road back to recovery starts now.. Appreciate all the love and support I’ve received to date. Will be back stronger.”The news represents a major blow to Donald, whose move to the Ageas Bowl came about in part due to his hopes of an England call-up.He first announced himself as a 19-year-old in the Glamorgan side when he spanked 234 off just 136 balls, equalling the record for the fastest double-century in first-class cricket, in a remarkable maiden Championship ton at Colwyn Bay. He hit Derbyshire’s attack for 15 sixes, and made headlines as a future star.There were flashes of brilliance in his fledgling white-ball career, including a 40-ball 76 at The Oval in 2017, but he failed to make a half-century in 2018, and finished last season with a disappointment when he found no takers in the inaugural draft for the Hundred.

Afghanistan’s second innings lasted only 7.1 overs on the third morning

The Report by Hemant Brar29-Nov-2019West Indies took just an hour on the third morning to wrap up the one-off Test against Afghanistan, winning by nine wickets in Lucknow.Resuming the day on 109 for 7 in their second innings – under floodlights due to poor visibility – Afghanistan could last only 7.1 more overs as Jason Holder picked up the remaining three wickets. Rashid Khan fell to Holder’s first ball of the day with Shane Dowrich taking a wobbling catch diving to his right.Next, with Afsar Zazai trying to farm the strike, Holder flattened Yamin Ahmadzai’s off stump when he got the opportunity.In his next over, the West Indies captain dismissed Zazai too as Afghanistan were bowled out for 120. Holder finished with figures of 3 for 20, his unexpected decision to bowl after winning the toss two days ago now just a distant memory.Set 31 to win, West Indies eased to the victory but not before Amir Hamza got Kraigg Brathwaite caught behind for eight. The Barbados batsman now averages 12.26 in his last ten Tests with a highest score of 49.For debutant Hamza, it was a good outing personally as he finished with six wickets in the match, apart from hitting 34 from No. 9 in Afghanistan’s first innings.

The Rajshahi captain credits the Pakistan allrounder for taking the pressure off him and helping the side to the BPL title

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2020Rajshahi Royals captain Andre Russell has credited Mohammad Nawaz for taking the pressure off him and helping the side to the BPL title on Friday. The pair plundered 71 off 34 balls, with Nawaz surprisingly dominating the partnership with an unbeaten 41 off 20 balls. The stand lifted Rajshahi to 170 for 4, which proved 21 too many for Khulna Tigers.ALSO READ: Nawaz, Russell fire Rajshahi to BPL titleRussell also praised wicketkeeper-batsman Irfan Sukkur for his fifty under pressure in the first half of Rajshahi’s innings. Sukkur became the first uncapped Bangladesh player to hit a half-century in the BPL final.”Once I was there until the end, we could definitely be more aggressive,” Russell said. “[Khulna] bowl well in the death but when two good batters [are] swinging from the hips, anything can happen. Well played to [Mohammad] Nawaz. He took a lot of pressure off me. He gave us the punch that we needed going into bowling. Irfan Sukkur is big-hearted guy. I have been telling him to believe in himself, you can hit the ball. Just be positive. When a big player speaks to these guys, they can move mountains.”Russell, who became the first overseas captain to lift the BPL title, said that he didn’t find it too difficult to deal with domestic cricketers.”It wasn’t that difficult [to be a foreign captain],” he said. “The first week, a few practice sessions and the first two games, was the time to know what each player is about – whether a bowler was better with the new ball, in the middle overs or at the death. It took me a few games but everyone really pulled through when I called on them. Rabbi bowled well tonight. Irfan has been doing well.”Russell said that he wanted to make sure that the domestic cricketers and the helpers around the team get paid, even though there was no prize money in this tournament. In the last BPL, the champions received BDT 2 crore (USD 250,000) while the runners-up side got BDT 85 lakh (USD 106,250).”In franchise cricket, every player looks forward to the prize money,” he said. “But for me, winning the tournament is everything. It might sound like I don’t like money. “I just want to make sure that these local guys who helps us with our bags and always around the team, is taken care of. They get some bonus. I am happy once they and the local players are taken care of. This is what matters the most.”Russell also said that he enjoyed his stint with Rajshahi with whom he had won his first T20 tournament as a captain. “It is actually a good feeling,” he said. “I didn’t really notice [that I was the first foreign captain to win the BPL]. They trusted my ability. I believe in myself as well, to get the job done. I contributed as much as I could. We had a very good unit. Everyone showed up tonight.”My first championship as a captain is really special to me. As a captain, you don’t want to be selfish. At the same time, you have to believe in other bowlers. Everyone answered and came to the party tonight.”

After going nearly six years without an over-rate offence, India have now earned fines in the fourth and fifth T20Is against New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2020After picking up a first over-rate offence in nearly six years, India have got two in two games, with the team fined 20 percent of their match fees for a slow over-rate in the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand.India’s players had earlier been docked 40% of their match fees for the fourth T20I, bringing to an end a streak that had lasted 264 matches since the Oval Test in August 2014.As per Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the stipulated time. India had been found two overs short in the fourth T20I, which is why they had been fined 40%. In the fifth match, they were found to be one over short after making time allowances.On-field umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig, along with third umpire Ashley Mehrotra, reported the matter to match referee Chris Broad, who imposed the sanction. Rohit Sharma accepted the charge so there was no need of a formal hearing.Rohit, however, didn’t lead India in the field, having hurt his calf while batting, with KL Rahul doing the captaincy duties in the second innings. Rohit’s injury was subsequently found to be serious enough for him to be ruled out of the ODIs and Test series that follow.India successfully defended their score of 163, completing an unprecedented 5-0 sweep in the T20I series. New Zealand lost a third successive close game, having come out on the wrong end of two Super Over defeats in the third and fourth matches, going down by 7 runs in the fifth T20I.

On Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, he says ‘you don’t have to be Einstein to realise it’s probably unlikely to go ahead’

Daniel Brettig31-Mar-2020Australia’s captain Tim Paine says the nation’s cricketers are aware the delay to their central contracting for next season may well lead to pay cuts, and they accept that such a move would be part of the need to “do our bit” to preserve the game amid the coronavirus pandemic.He has also conceded that the scheduled Test tour of Bangladesh is looking unlikely, with the ICC yet to deliberate on what will take place should the remaining series of the World Test Championship be delayed or cancelled due to the need to reset for whenever it is safe again to travel around the world for international series.While Cricket Australia has been highly fortunate in the timing of the pandemic, the governing body and its state association owners have been locked into deep discussions of how to prepare for the broad range of scenarios in front of them, ranging from minimal disruption of next summer to an outlook as bleak as that currently faced by the winter football codes.Paine, who awoke on Tuesday morning to find his wallet had been stolen after he left it in his car in Hobart after moving it outside to make room for a home gym set-up, said that the players were aware of the fact that they may need to make financial sacrifices to help shore up the wider game, under the terms of their collective agreement with CA that affords them around 26% of Australian Cricket Revenue each season.”Certainly discussions will start happening in the next week or so,” Paine said. “There’s obviously the delay in our list announcement if you like. Certainly if things happen similar to what’s happened to football and other sports, then we’ve certainly got to do our bit to make sure the game survives and remains really healthy for years to come.”If it comes to that, I’m sure that’s something that the players will look at. But there are bigger issues going on around the world at the moment than how much our sportsmen are going to get paid. That’ll be a small thing to us if that was to happen.”As for Bangladesh, Paine said that time was running short for the series to be able to be played as scheduled, leaving administrators to weigh up what to do next. “At this stage I think you don’t have to be Einstein to realise it’s probably unlikely to go ahead, particularly in June,” Paine said. “Whether it’s cancelled completely or its pushed back, we’re not quite sure at the moment, but it’s a couple of Test matches and if at the end of the day we have to miss them, then so be it.”I think whether some series have been cancelled, whether one’s going forward, or we are going to postpone them [we have to wait and see]… And maybe players are going to go through a period where we play five weeks’ cricket [at a stretch] if we can to complete the Test championship.”I think the players are certainly enjoying that points system and the fact that every Test match counts for something and you are playing towards a premiership if you like. I think all players will be in favour of trying to finish that in any way we can. But again if it doesn’t happen as I said there are bigger issues in the world and missing a few Test matches isn’t going to hurt us.”Similarly, Paine spoke with equanimity when asked about the likely need for fixture clashes between cricket and football codes should health restrictions for coronavirus be relaxed late this year.”If that’s what happens, that’s what happens. We’re going through some pretty different circumstances clearly around the world at the moment,” Paine said when asked about the Twenty20 World Cup going head-to-head with the AFL. “I think all sporting codes and businesses are going to have to do things slightly differently going forward. Again it’s about working together, I think footy and cricket can help each other as much as society can in general in difficult times. For me personally I’d quite like to see both if I’m totally honest.”This week brought an end to Steven Smith’s two-year ban from captaincy in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, and Paine indicated that leadership would likely be a conversation topic with his No. 4 batsman. However he clarified that he had no intention to stand aside early to hand the captaincy reins back to Smith, also pointing out that there were a growing number of options around the national teams.”I haven’t had that conversation with Steve, I probably will at some stage no doubt,” Paine said. “But I think if you look at the fact he’s captaining Rajasthan Royals, captaining in The Hundred, it’s obviously something that he loves doing. So if Steve Smith decides that’s the way he wants to go, then I will fully support him in trying to do it again.”I know it’s a really big thing for JL [coach Justin Langer] and [CA chief executive] Kevin Roberts to make sure that we are developing a number of people when the role comes up, whether it’s the Test role or when [limited-overs captain] Aaron Finch decides that he’s had enough. We’ve got a number of guys to choose from.”At the moment, I’d like a Steve Smith who’s done it before or ones that are developing like a Travis Head or Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne. Pat Cummins is another one. We are starting to build a real depth and that’s what we want to do to make sure that when my time’s up, there are a number of options.”

CA is in the process of drawing up guidelines for how training will operate

Andrew McGlashan15-May-2020Over the next week or so, professional cricketers around Australia will dig out their kit bags and embark on a lengthy pre-season, which will likely have a very different feel from the usual as sport adapts to the new normal following the Covid-19 pandemic.The centrally contracted Australia players come off annual leave on Monday, a period where like the majority of the population they have been confined to homes, garages, gardens and the local parks for exercise.State squads are due to start filtering back into training and while the winter football codes – NRL and AFL – are preparing to return to action cricket training, at least to start with, will likely take the form of smaller groups.However, while those with Cricket Australia deals have some certainty over their position, state contracting lists remain to be confirmed.A couple of weeks ago, the Australian Institute of Sport issued a framework for the return of sport – CA’s Dr John Orchard was part of the team that put the document together – which included details such as the ban on using saliva and sweat on the ball at training. Since then, CA, led by head of science and medicine Alex Kountouris, has been working on overall guidelines for the states and national set-up.In normal circumstances, a number of players would have been at the IPL or taking up county contracts in England, while members of the men’s Test squad who were based at home would have been gearing up for a two-Test tour of Bangladesh.All of that, of course, was scuppered as the pandemic swept the world. There remains significant doubt as to when the international game will resume, although there are some positive steps being taken in the UK as England players will shortly return to individual training.While Australia’s men’s ODI and T20I sides may yet play their series against England in September, it is quite possible that there will be no international travel for any of the country’s cricketers this winter.International players are likely to be with their states through the build-up to the 2020-21 season, which is due to start in late September with the Marsh Cup and a women’s series against New Zealand. Given the positive progress against Covid-19 in Australia and across the Tasman, that timeline has a reasonable chance of happening.”We’ve got pre-season starting in a couple of weeks’ time. So fingers crossed, we can get back to that,” Travis Head said. “We’ve been fortunate enough in Adelaide with the restrictions starting to ease over the last couple of days. Hopefully it looks like we’ll be able to train in small groups.”For me and for all of us it’s about coming back as fit as we can. I’ve got some goals that I need to tick off going into pre-season, which will then lead me into having a really good baseline to go into pre-season. I’m excited and a bit nervous about the pre-season. I haven’t done one in a few years.”Looking back at the ones I have done, I’ll be hopefully able to come back very, very fit and ready to go. Hopefully I can excel during the pre-season and that will get me in good stead for the season. Being a leader within South Australia, having the whole squad home, myself, Alex Carey, Kane Richardson, those sort of guys home is going to be a really exciting pre-season and important giving the state of where we’re at.”

Tells former team-mate Michael Holding who could be the future of WI’s fast bowling

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jun-20202:35

Andy Roberts: ‘You cannot coach people to bowl fast’

Former West Indies fast bowler Andy Roberts has said that Oshane Thomas will be the first name he will “pencil” in for West Indies’ final Test squad for the three-match series in England, which begins in Southampton from July 8. Speaking to his former West Indies team-mate Michael Holding, Roberts also predicted the young pair of Alzarri Joseph and Chemar Holder could grow to become the “backbone” of West Indies’ fast-bowling attack “within the next five-six years.”All three fast bowlers are part of the enlarged squad of 25 players that landed in Manchester on June 8. But while Joseph and Holder are part of the 14-man primary squad, Thomas – along with Shannon Gabriel – is part of the 11 reserves.ALSO READ – Oshane Thomas: ‘Test cricket is what you want to play to be great’According to Roberts, Thomas has the most basic skill of fast bowling, which at the same time is also unique: “pace”. Roberts believed that it could be turned into a “weapon” when used wisely.”Oshane Thomas would probably be the first name I would pencil on this tour because he has what others want: he has pace,” Roberts said in an episode on Holding’s YouTube channel aired on June 20. “And you should always have somebody like that on your team so that he can create uneasiness amongst batsmen.”Holding himself had said recently he was “a little bit surprised” to not find Thomas amongst the primary Test squad of 14, especially after he had gained prominence as one of the fastest bowlers in the previous year. Thomas has also talked up his desire to make his Test debut because that is the format where “greats” are recognised.ALSO READ – Thomas interview: ‘When I look in a batsman’s eyes and see fear, it’ll pump me up to bowl even faster’The current West Indies fast-bowling contingent is led by Kemar Roach along with captain Jason Holder and Gabriel. However, it is the pool of young fast bowlers like Joseph, Chemar and Thomas that has given the Caribbean selectors renewed hope that West Indies’ pace attack could be built into the sort of formidable unit that was championed once by Roberts and Holding.”I am glad to see there is a sort of a resurgence in the last couple of months, not years, just the last couple of months – there are some youngsters are coming through and I hope that we don’t try and expect too much off them too soon,” Roberts said.He also had a word of advice for the young fast bowlers – he wanted them to use their pace smartly and not let it go to waste. “Alzarri is a good youngster coming up. He has some pace, but I don’t think at the moment he is bowling genuinely fast,” Roberts said. “At the [Under-19] Youth World Cup (2016) I think he was bowling faster than he is now. Maybe if he has some experience and he can bowl within himself and produce the odd fast ball which is required. Because I don’t think anyone should try to bowl every ball at 90 mph. I would like to see the youngsters learn (that).”If you have a 95 mph ball in your armoury, that is a weapon. And you need to use [that] sparingly. You need to have the batsman just guessing: when is this faster ball going to come? Then there is young Chemar Holder. I saw a bit of him and I think he, to me, along with Alzarri will be the backbone of West Indies fast bowling within the next five or six years. I’m hoping that I don’t talk too soon. But you need to have two genuine fast bowlers who can bowl in pairs.”Roberts said Roach was a certainty along with Jason to lead the fast-bowling attack. He was unsure whether Chemar would be ready to be blooded on this tour, but felt Thomas could compete with Gabriel for a slot in the team.”I don’t know how fit Gabriel will be because he hasn’t played since last September,” he said. “And he is not one of the most athletic of our bowlers.”‘Batting to come good’Asked by Holding how West Indies could retain the Wisden Trophy, Roberts said that was possible only by playing “good all-round” cricket. According to him, West Indies’ batting remained a concern especially against the “short” delivery.”I hear many people are talking now about the strength of the fast bowling unit, but then we cannot forget the bating because we are not playing against ourselves,” Roberts said. “And England, at the moment, have some very good fast bowlers. Along with the two old stagers [Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad] they have two youngsters in [Jofra] Archer and [Mark] Wood. We have to be very careful because you know some of our youngsters in the region don’t play the short ball as well as we think they should. And so, first, the batting to come good on that tour.”The West Indies selection panel, led by former offspinner Roger Harper, was forced to ring in some last-minute changes after Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer had opted out of the England tour because of health concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently Holding had said that it was “unfortunate” for both batsmen especially Bravo, who has struggled to find consistency, to miss out on the England tour.Roberts agreed, saying: “They would have played an integral part of the batting. As much as we don’t like the way Hetmyer has been playing, he is one of the batsmen for the future. But somebody has to get into his head and let him realise that you can’t score runs sitting in the pavilion.”According to Roberts, the challenge for most West Indies batsmen was they “don’t really train and practise enough to work the ball into gaps. We believe in boundaries.”West Indies coach Phil Simmons had admitted recently that batting was an area that West Indies needed to strengthen to compete in England. Key concern for Simmons would be the form of his two senior batsmen: vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope – both of whom were the best batsmen on West Indies’ previous visit to England, which they lost 2-1 after a thrilling victory in the second Test in Leeds.While Hope has failed to score another ton, after becoming the first batsman to record twin centuries in the same Test at Headingley, Brathwaite has averaged 25.33 in his last 20 Tests.”If our fast-bowling unit can click then may have some hope, but I am not going to put too much emphasis on our batting,” Roberts said. “Speaking, just by listening, watching and hearing people talk about these batsmen that we have there isn’t much to shout about.”

BCCI wants to make radical changes to its constitution which would go against the Lodha recommendations

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Jul-2020With less than a week left before BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is set to enter the three-year cooling off period, the Supreme Court has listed the board’s long-pending case for a hearing on Wednesday. The court is meant to hear BCCI’s plea, which it has filed twice since last December, proposing several amendments to the board’s constitution which, if adopted, could undo some of the most significant reforms recommended by the Lodha Committee.The hearing, which will be conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be in front of a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and Justice L Nageshwar Rao. As per the notes on the court’s website, the bench will take up the BCCI matter only after other scheduled hearings of the regular court.The hearing is hugely significant for the BCCI because on it rests the future of its two main office bearers – Ganguly and board secretary Jay Shah. Both are part of the new administration that was elected last October under the BCCI’s new constitution framed on the basis of the Lodha Committee reforms, which were mandated by the court in 2016.As per the BCCI constitution, an office bearer is allowed to serve for two consecutive terms spanning six years (at BCCI or state level or a combination of both) after which a cooling-off period of three years is mandatory. That rule was approved by the court itself in 2018, when it modified the clause concerning the cooling period to two terms (six years) instead of the just one (as stated in its 2016 order).ALSO READ: ‘BCCI amendments, if permitted, will mean ridiculing the Supreme Court’Both Ganguly and Shah were scheduled to finish six years this year, having started as office bearers at the Cricket Association of Bengal and Gujarat Cricket Association respectively.While Ganguly’s term reportedly comes to end on July 27, Shah’s has been over in the past month or so although an exact date could not be confirmed. In its second plea filed in April, the BCCI asked the court to consider the amendments to the board’s constitution including tweaking the cooling-off period of the board’s office bearers, modifying the disqualification criteria, giving unprecedented powers to the BCCI secretary, and stopping the court from having any say if the board wants to alter the constitution. The amendments were unanimously approved by the state associations that comprise the BCCI general body.The BCCI has said its two most powerful office bearers – the president and the secretary – should be allowed to serve two consecutive terms (six years) solely at the BCCI (without taking into account terms served at state level) before the cooling-off period kicks in.In the absence of any directive from the court, the BCCI has said Shah, Ganguly and Jayesh George, its joint secretary, who, too, needs to serve the cooling-off period soon, can continue. Recently, a member of the BCCI’s Apex Council, Alka Rehani Bharadwaj, raised doubts about whether Shah could attend the July 17 meeting of the panel which is tasked with making policy and governance decisions. Bharadwaj, who represents the Comptroller & Auditor General of India [CAG], asked Ganguly and George to ensure only eligible members attended the Apex Council meetings.In its April affidavit, the BCCI told the court that the three-year cooling-off period for an office-bearer following a six-year tenure is an eligibility criteria necessary only to contest the elections. The Apex Council was given the same reasoning to justify the presence of Shah at the July 17 meeting.CAG request on relieving nominee on BCCI Apex CouncilThe court is also likely to hear the CAG’s request, too, tomorrow. Recently, the CAG filed a plea asking the court for its nominee on the Apex Council to be relieved on the grounds that it is “unable” to function as an independent voice and carry out its primary job: to provide financial oversight to the BCCI and the state associations.The CAG nominee is the solitary independent voice in the nine-person Apex Council and the seven-strong IPL Governing Council. The inclusion of the CAG official was one of the most significant recommendations of the Lodha Committee. The objective, the Lodha Committee said, and the court agreed, was the CAG nominee would “ensure transparency and financial oversight” in the functioning of the BCCI.Asked by ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday to comment on BCCI’s move to carry further tweaks to its constitution, Justice Lodha politely declined. Last November, immediately after the BCCI amendments were made public, he had said it was “unfortunate” that Ganguly had failed to understand the true worth of the reforms which was the only reason a cricketer had become the BCCI president.”I thought a cricketer at the helm of affairs will understand that it was only our reforms which brought him to this position,” Justice Lodha told the . “If the earlier system was in vogue, perhaps no cricketer could have ever dreamt of heading a body like the BCCI. The way the politics is played in cricket administration, I don’t think any cricketer would have been able to get this position but for these reforms.”That’s all the more reason for those in charge now to respect the reforms and try to fully implement them, instead of changing them”, Lodha added. He hoped the changes do not happen. “Let reforms work over a period of time and see how transparency, accountability come into the administration.”