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Somerset 184 and 103 for 1 (Dickson 55*, Fuller 1-23) trail Hampshire 336 (Gubbins 82, Dawson 72, Pretorius 5-64) by 49 runs Migael Pretorius’ bowling and Sean Dickson’s batting swung the advantage away from Hampshire in their Rothesay County Championship fixture with Somerset.South African Pretorius picked up 5 for 64 as Somerset only allowed the hosts a first innings lead of 152, despite Nick Gubbins’ 82 and Liam Dawson’s 72.That edge was whittled down to 49 for the loss of just Archie Vaughan as Dickson ended his start-of-the-season drought with a calm unbeaten half-century before the dingy light descended on the Utilita Bowl.Hampshire began the day with a 10-run lead and the hopes of a large extension of that, which would mean they could win the match without batting again.But Tom Lammonby’s work with the old ball and then Pretorius’ with the new stymied them – despite managing to pick up two batting bonus points.Gubbins and Dawson had ground out a 76-run partnership the previous evening, but opened up a little in the morning – with the former taking a particular liking to Alfie Ogborne.The stand grew to 125 in a demoralising first half an hour of the day for Somerset – which also saw Dawson dropped by Tom Abell at midwicket – before the visitors began to fight back.Left-armer Lammonby had only bowled five wicketless overs in the opening two matches of the season, but his two maiden overs on the second evening had been the best on show for his side. He found good movement with the old ball and struck three times before the 80th over.Gubbins got stuck on the crease and was plumb lbw, Dawson couldn’t keep a cut shot down and was well held by Vaughan, and Brett Hampton lasted three balls before he was leg-before to a ball that swung back.Ben Brown was the constant as three of the last four batters reached double-figures in quick time but couldn’t stick around. James Fuller went first and hit 15 in 21 balls, including two stunning cover drives, but departed in the fifth over of the new cherry, as Pretorius nibbled one in to take the edge to second slip.Toby Albert – who dropped down the order because a back spasm – was lbw while falling over an angled in ball from Pretorius.And after Kyle Abbott had whacked an 11-ball 20, Pretorius completed his second five-wicket haul for Somerset with a legside catch behind to James Rew.Ogborne ended the innings when Brad Wheal – after 19 off 16 – had his stumps rearranged, leaving Brown on 30 and still yet to be dismissed on his home ground as club captain.A lead of 152 would have been below Hampshire’s hopes, but still large enough to mount a victory effort. But an increasingly flat pitch and a stout top-order batting performance quelled their hopes of a quick victory, and made the draw the favourite result, especially with rain forecast on the final day.Vaughan and Dickson’s opening partnerships list had read a dismal: 21, 14, 4 and 14 but they roused to 50 with little fuss. Vaughan departed after looping a catch up for deep square leg for the second match in a row, but Dickson battened down the hatches and refused to give away his wicket.The former Kent batter had a top score of 11 in five innings this season but never looked in danger – except for a wild unprovoked swing which barely missed his leg stump – to reach his fourth fifty for Somerset in 108 balls.Bad light brought tea forward by 10 minutes, and when they belatedly returned, only four overs of spin were possible before things turned terminally dark.

Australia sent a statement to the current world champions New Zealand as to why they are still ranked No.1 with stunning twin half-centuries from Beth Mooney and Georgia Voll and a frugal bowling performance setting up a dominant eight-wicket win with 36 balls to spare in the opening T20I in Auckland.The only dampener on the victory was a significant right index finger injury to star allrounder Ashleigh Gardner who was sent for scans after copping a blow trying to take a return catch while bowling.She would not have batted in any case but she would not have been required if she was fit as Mooney and Voll mowed down New Zealand’s target of 138, which was underpinned by Amelia Kerr’s 51 not out off 46 and Sophie Devine’s 39 not out off 36.But their unbeaten 90-run stand off 76 balls proved too slow as Australia’s opening pair set a slew of records with a staggering display of sustained boundary hitting with Mooney finishing with 75 not out from just 42 balls while Voll made 51 off 30.They posted 77 in the powerplay, which was the most Australia’s women have ever produced in a T20I. They brought up their century stand in 8.2 overs and posted the highest opening partnership, 123, by an Australian female pair against New Zealand in a T20I.Mooney celebrated her 200th international for Australia across all formats by racing to her 26th half-century in T20Is from 28 balls, to go with her two centuries. Voll cruised to her maiden T20I half-century in 30 balls but played second fiddle as Mooney accelerated past her by facing more of the strike.Mooney was brutal going both off side and leg side with trademark lofted cover drives mixed with pick-ups over midwicket. Voll was savage on anything straight, mowing it repeatedly over the leg side with her powerful bottom hand until she finally picked out deep square off Lea Tahuhu with just 15 runs to win.New Zealand’s total was always well under par after winning the toss and batting first. Australia’s attack, which did not feature Ashes star Alana King who was left out of the line-up, was frugal throughout. They could have restricted New Zealand even further had they not dropped two catches and missed three clear-cut run out chances.Darcie Brown made the first breakthrough, claiming Suzie Bates caught behind for a run-a-ball 14, and bowled superbly to finish with 1 for 22 from four overs with 13 dot balls. Georgia Plimmer briefly threatened, accelerating to 27 off 23 but then picked out long-on trying to loft Tahlia McGrath down the ground.Devine, playing her first game since January after taking a mental health break, showed clear signs of rust as she battled for fluency. She was 16 off 27 at one point as all of Australia’s bowlers tied her down. Annabel Sutherland was particularly tough to get away in the middle overs, conceding just 21 off her four.Gardner’s dropped catch seemed to spark Devine. Gardner left in clear pain with blood flowing from a cut on her right index finger and was unable to complete her third over due to the power of Devine’s strike. She found the boundary four more times after that, having scored just one across her first 27 deliveries.Kerr was more consistent across her innings but only found the rope five times in her fourth T20I half-century. New Zealand scored just 17 boundaries in total with Kerr and Devine striking five each. Mooney struck ten fours herself, plus a six, while Voll crunched nine boundaries.Australia claim a 1-0 series lead, with matches to come at Mount Maunganui on Sunday and Wellington on Wednesday.

No result – Harshitha Samarawickrama scored an unbeaten 66 and appeared to steady Sri Lanka’s effort in Napier before incessant rain forced a washout in the first ODI after 36.4 overs of action with the visitors at 147 for 5.Asked to bat by Suzie Bates, Sri Lanka slid from 70 for 1 to 94 for 4, but the game had nearly evened up courtesy Samarawickrama’s second fifty-plus score in ODIs. The rain, though, meant no further play, and after a three-hour break, the umpires called off the contest.Chamari Athapaththu was the first batter dismissed, for a 21-ball 9, with seamer Bree Illing striking with the new ball. Samarawickrama and Vishmi Gunaratne, the other opener, then added 45 for the second wicket.Jess Kerr ended the stand when Gunaratne edged one behind to Polly Inglis in the 19th over, following which No. 4 Kavisha Dilhari and No. 5 Manudi Nanayakkara fell to Bates and Illing respectively.A promising partnership of 44 for the fifth wicket ended when Eden Carson ran Nilakshika Silva out for 17. Samarawickrama, with her seven fours, held one end up amid the dismissals and reached her fifty in 83 balls. She had wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani (2*) for company when rain arrived.The teams now move to Nelson for the next two games in the series.

Will Sutherland, the Australia allrounder, has agreed to join Yorkshire as one of their overseas players for the Vitality Blast. The 25-year-old will also be available for two rounds of the County Championship in June/July.Anthony McGrath, Yorkshire’s new head coach, had previously tried to bring in Sutherland when in charge at Essex, only for a back stress fracture to rule him out of a stint at Chelmsford during 2023. Sutherland signed to play for Somerset last season but was forced to withdraw with another back injury.Sutherland, who has been capped twice in ODIs, will join up with Yorkshire in May for the start of the Blast and play the entire group stage, as well as being involved for Championship fixtures against Nottinghamshire and Essex.Related

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“Yorkshire are a Club with big ambitions, and I want to do all I can to contribute to a successful year,” Sutherland said. “I know how hard the guys will have worked to get promoted last season and I’m looking forward to putting in the hard yards with the team.”I’ve worked closely with Mags [McGrath] and Mick [Lewis, Yorkshire bowling coach] previously over in Australia so the opportunity to join them both again was one I couldn’t turn down.”Headingley and its atmosphere is famous in Australia, and I can’t wait to experience a Roses game. I know it’s the first fixture so many look out for, and I was no different.”Captain of Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, Sutherland has taken 36 wickets in 63 appearances with an economy of 8.80. He strikes at 134.32 with the bat, and made his highest T20 score earlier this month – 70 off 45 balls – to help his side beat Perth Scorchers.McGrath said: “Will is someone I have admired for a long time and feel he can add something extra to our bowling attack for that middle period of the season as well as offering us an added dimension with the bat.”I know the Australian selectors think highly of him, and they know a thing or two about allrounders, so I am confident Will can hit the ground running and deliver for us in both red and white ball games.”Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket, added: “Will is an immense talent. His record is impressive, and I’m delighted that we have got his signing over the line.”Having discussed this opportunity with Will over recent weeks, it quickly became clear that he was aligned to our philosophy for the year ahead and his ambitions matched ours. We look forward to welcoming Will to Yorkshire.”

Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs eased to Test centuries in the first two sessions, making South Africa’s lead gargantuan, before the quicks snapped up five Sri Lanka wickets. Having utterly dominated the match since lunch on day two, South Africa finished the third day only five wickets short of going 1-0 up in a vital World Test Championship series. Sri Lanka are 413 runs adrift, on a surface on which the bounce can no longer be fully trusted.The late Sri Lanka wickets produced some drama, but it was the 249-run partnership – which equalled a record for the fourth wicket at this ground – that was the centerpiece of Friday’s action. Stubbs and Bavuma had laid the groundwork for their centuries in the morning, negotiating some occasionally testing early overs.It was clear that by then, however, the Kingsmead pitch had lost much of the nip it had had in the first few sessions of this match. South Africa raised their tempo in the second session, going at 4.81 runs an over in the afternoon.The Sri Lanka quicks were down on pace on day three, as perhaps could be expected of an attack that was closing in on 150 overs for the match. They did, eventually manage to dismiss Stubbs and Bavuma late in the second session. But by that stage, South Africa’s lead had ballooned to more than 500. When they declared at tea, only five wickets down, they had set Sri Lanka 516 to win.It was the two South Africa batters’ hundreds, however, that most enthused the crowd at Kingsmead, and the more dramatic of the trips to triple figures was Bavuma’s. He had appeared tentative in the 90s, with Sri Lanka raising lbw appeals against him, and forcing plays and misses as well.Kagiso Rabada struck in his first spell•AFP/Getty Images

Bavuma getting to his third century provided the most dramatic moment of the day. Batting on 98, he had got low to lap sweep Prabath Jayasuriya, and was hit on the pad. The umpire turned down the lbw appeal as the batters ran three.But having removed his helmet to celebrate, he was made to wait a little longer, when Sri Lanka reviewed the decision. Thankfully for Bavuma, real-time snicko had caught the very slight deflection off his glove into pad, and as soon as this was shown on the big screen, Bavuma swung his bat in the air, and the crowd acknowledged him, even before the final “not out” decision came. This was only his third career ton, but his second as captain.Stubbs got to his second Test hundred in more straightforward fashion. He had spent only 14 balls in the 90s, before working Asitha Fernando through midwicket for a couple to complete the milestone. Stubbs was given lbw in the next over, off Lahiru Kumara, but he reviewed and the ball was found to have struck him outside the line of off. In the first session, he had also been dropped for 33 off Vishwa Fernando, by Angelo Mathews, who spilled a chance low to his left at slip.Although conditions had eased, Bavuma and Stubbs batting out the entire first session was nevertheless extraordinary, given 19 wickets had fallen the previous day. Both were cautious to start with, as Kumara went short at the batters, and Jayasuriya flighted the ball, searching for early dismissals.Stubbs, typically, was stronger down the ground, while Bavuma was more adept at hitting square, often using his feet to the spinner, and occasionally playing the hard, flat sweep in addition to the dinky one past the keeper. Aside from that one chance off Stubbs, both batters appeared largely in control, though there were occasional lbw shouts – none of which was especially close.Marco Jansen finished day three with nine wickets in the match•Associated Press

In the final session, South Africa’s quicks were rampant again, and Sri Lanka’s batters continued to be indisciplined, even as the light waned and the opposition was still running hot. Sri Lanka also managed to burn all three of their reviews, with Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews reviewing lbw decisions that were more or less plumb, before Kamindu Mendis reviewed after providing a feather edge to the wicketkeeper.When confirmed out, it was Kamindu’s first twin failure in his nine Tests so far, having fallen for 13 in the first innings, and 10 in this one.South Africa’s taller quicks got more out of the surface than Sri Lanka’s seamers had earlier in the day, though Mathews’ lbw in particular was down to low bounce – the ball shooting through into his pads, although he had expected it to bounce up to perhaps waist height. That was off the bowling of Marco Jansen, who now has nine wickets in the match.But it was Kagiso Rabada who had made the first breakthrough, having Dimuth Karunaratne caught at third slip, as the opening batter drove on the up at a ball well outside off stump in the fifth over of the innings. Rabada also took the last wicket of the day – that of nightwatcher Jayasuriya, who fell to a spectacular reflex catch by short leg Tony de Zorzi.

Ali Maiden has been appointed head coach of Birmingham Phoenix women’s team for the 2025 season of the Hundred. Maiden takes over from Ben Sawyer, whose contract was not renewed after four seasons in charge.A World Cup winner as assistant coach to England Women in 2017, Maiden was on the staff with London Spirit for their women’s Hundred title success during the summer. He was appointed Bears Women’s head coach in August, having previously been batting coach at Yorkshire.”Ali arrives at the Phoenix with vast experience in the women’s game, both internationally and in franchise cricket,” Craig Flindall, Birmingham Phoenix general manager, said. “He was selected as the new Bears Women head coach following a rigorous selection process so we know he is a high calibre appointment.”2025 is very much a transitional year for the Phoenix, with new investors expected to come on board next year, and I’m sure Ali will help us through that period as we look to challenge again at the top of the table.”I’m very grateful for everything Ben has done during his five years with Phoenix Women and everyone here wishes him all the very best for the future.”Birmingham Phoenix also confirmed that Dan Vettori would continue as head coach of the men’s team for 2025.

Shakib Al Hasan has apologised for his silence during the student-led protests in Bangladesh in July, which led to several hundreds of deaths. It is the first time that Shakib acknowledged the movement that led to the fall of the longstanding Awami League-led government – in which he was a member of parliament (MP) – on August 5.”Firstly, I would like to pay my respects to all the students who sacrificed their lives, led the anti-discrimination movement, and were martyred or injured during the people’s uprising,” Shakib wrote on his Facebook page. “I extend my deepest respect and condolences to them and their families. While no sacrifice can compensate for the loss of a loved one, nothing can fill the void of losing a child or a brother, to those of you who were hurt by my silence during this critical period, I respect your feelings and sincerely apologise. If I were in your place, I too might have been upset.”Related

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• Shakib says he's done with T20Is, and will play his final Test next month

Shakib was playing in the Global T20 Canada franchise league during the violence in Bangladesh in July. During one of the matches in early August, Shakib argued with a fan who had asked him about his silence on the upheaval back home.Apart from being an MP, Shakib, of course, is arguably Bangladesh’s biggest cricket star ever, a larger-than-life figure in Bangladesh, and so his silence rankled. He was named in a murder case related to the protests, along with 146 other Awami League leaders, while he was playing the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.On September 26, Shakib, who resides in the USA with his family, announced his retirement from Test cricket. He said that if the authorities could guarantee his safe entry and exit from Bangladesh, he wanted to play his last Test in Dhaka, against South Africa from October 21. He had not been in the country since the T20 World Cup in June, having linked up with the Test squad directly in Pakistan and India. BCB president Faruque Ahmed said the board could not guarantee him the security he wanted, but at the government level there were positive signals for Shakib. Sports adviser Asif Mahmud had said the government would provide him with security, but Shakib needed to explain his political stance to his fans.In his long Facebook post on Wednesday, Shakib duly spoke of why he had joined politics last year. He had got an Awami League nomination, and went on to win comfortably from the Magura-1 constituency.”I was briefly the member of parliament from the Magura-1 constituency. My political involvement was primarily driven by my desire to contribute to the development of my hometown Magura. As you know, it is difficult to directly impact the development of one’s area without a specific role in Bangladesh.”My wish to develop this area is what motivated me to become an MP. However, at the end of the day, my primary identity is as a cricketer for Bangladesh. No matter where I have been or in what position, I have always carried cricket in my heart.”Shakib concluded his post by paying tribute to his fans. “You all know that I will soon be playing my last match… I want to say goodbye with all of you around. At the moment of farewell, I want to shake hands with those whose applause compelled me to play better. I want to meet the eyes of those who cheered in joy when I played well and whose eyes welled up with tears when I did not. I believe that at this farewell moment, you will all be with me. Together, we will close the story that, in truth, stars not me, but all of you.”

Australia have banned the pre-game activity that threatened to derail Ashleigh Gardner’s T20 World Cup as the allrounder challenged her side’s batters to fill their boots in the third T20I against New Zealand in Brisbane on Tuesday.Gardner missed the series opener against New Zealand in Mackay last Thursday after colliding with team-mate Georgia Wareham attempting to catch a soft “Vortex” ball in a warm-up drill.The reigning Belinda Clark Medallist initially laughed off the incident before leaving the ground in tears, fearing an eighth career concussion as she was ruled out of the contest.Related

• Gardner seals series win after Kerr puts Australia in a spin

• Gardner cleared of concussion after Wareham head clash

• Litchfield rescues Australia after dramatic pre-game injury to Gardner

She was cleared though and returned on Sunday with a Player-of the-Match effort, her 3 for 16 the headline act of a disciplined bowling performance in a 29-run win over New Zealand.The 27-year-old saw a neuropsychologist in 2018 after suffering four concussions in the space of 20 months.”It’s been nice to get back out there after a weird occasion, a head collision in a warm-up,” she said. “It was weird to wrap my head around, but I’ve felt really good the last couple of days.”I’ve had a lot of head knocks in the past; I know when I am concussed and when I’m not.”There was no sign of the Vortex before Sunday’s game, Gardner confirming their pre-match routine had been tweaked.”That’s the end of the Vortex for the rest of the tour,” she said.Ashleigh Gardner returned three wickets after missing the opening game due to a concussion scare•Getty Images

Usually happy to chase, captain Alyssa Healy opted to bat first on Sunday and force her team to set the pace ahead of next month’s World Cup defence in Dubai.Healy (38 off 25) got off to a flyer but Australia’s innings stalled, the hosts recording their worst collapse in the format when they lost their last seven wickets for 28 runs as Amelia Kerr returned career-best figures of 4 for 20.A total of 142 proved more than enough thanks to Australia’s bowlers. But Gardner wants to see improvements in their final hit-out in Brisbane on Tuesday before flying to the UAE.”There’s still a lot left in the tank; hopefully in this last game if we do bat first we can put a massive total on the board,” she said.She said there were no excuses given the side’s incredible batting depth meant Annabel Sutherland entered at the fall of the sixth wicket.”Sutherland at eight is pretty ridiculous,” she said. “Going into conditions like Dubai, we haven’t played there before [for Australia] so we’re kind of going into the unknown a little bit.”But knowing we have a defendable total like 140, we know our bowling unit is good enough to restrict them”The skill we possess, in all facets… it was pretty clinical.”

Graeme West, the current Cricket West Indies (CWI) high-performance manager, is set to take over as director of high performance at Cricket Ireland (CI).In his stint with CWI that started in 2012, West worked closely with young talent from across the West Indies, and in 2016 was coach of the West Indies team that lifted the Under-19 World Cup. After working with the U-19 and ‘A’ teams, his current role as high-performance manager included the setting up of academy programmes and building a pool of coaches. He is expected to have a similar profile in Ireland, starting next month.Before joining CWI, West spent five years at the Middlesex academy. There, he worked with Ireland internationals Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Andrew Poynter and Stuart Poynter. West has not played any top-flight cricket, but holds a Level 4 ECB coaching qualification.”I am delighted to be joining Cricket Ireland as the organisation continues to grow and strengthen,” West said in a statement. “The Strategic Plan for 2024-27 is incredibly exciting and I look forward to applying my experience and philosophy to the wealth of talent and expertise that has been assembled as we further establish Ireland as a major cricketing nation.”Warren Deutrom, the chief executive at CI, said the appointment was a step towards Ireland becoming a “fit-for-purpose Full Member”.”When we set out to create and recruit for the role, the profile, initiative and experience that Graeme possesses is exactly what we were looking for,” Deutrom said. “We knew that in order to be successful in this new role, the candidate required leadership experience, exceptional people skills and the ability to be a mentor as much as a manager. In Graeme, we believe we have found that candidate.”As an organisation, we are going through a process of reviewing and evolving our operations to ensure we are fit-for-purpose as a Full Member in a rapidly changing environment. One of the strategic decisions we made was to acknowledge the scale and scope of our work has outgrown our pre-Full Member structures.”The senior men’s team have a busy few weeks ahead, with a white-ball tour of the UAE to play South Africa later this month. The senior women’s team is set to host England for three ODIs and two ODIs starting Saturday.

Southern Vipers strengthened their position at the top of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table after defeating in-form Blaze by four wickets at Chesterfield.In a repeat of last season’s final, Blaze were hunting their 14th win in 15 games in all competitions, but again found Vipers too strong, as they did in both finals last year.In the glorious, sylvan setting of Queen’s Park, Blaze were bowled out for 278 in 47.2 overs. Heather Graham, who took 6 for 39 against South East Stars last Sunday, this time starred with the bat with 78, supported by Kathryn Bryce 65 and Sarah Bryce 48. Mary Taylor took 3 for 32 and, having finished the innings with wickets with successive balls.Vipers’ reply reached 281 for 6 with four balls to spare thanks mainly to a stand of 136 between Georgia Elwiss (101 not out, 110) and 18-year-old Abi Norgrove (a career-best 64 off 75). They came together with the innings at a crossroads at 124 for 4 in the 22nd over and paced the pursuit perfectly.After choosing to bat, The Blaze lost Teresa Graves in the sixth over, run out by slick fielding in the covers from Charli Knott but Sarah and Kathryn Bryce added 71 in 12 overs. Sarah Bryce was superbly caught by a diving Taylor at the point off of Ava Lee, but her sister was joined in another productive partnership by Marie Kelly. The fourth-wicket pair added 66 in 12 overs before falling in the space of nine balls, Kathryn Bryce chipping Lee to mid-wicket and Marie Kelly (33) perishing bowled off-stump through the gate by Taylor.Knott struck with successive balls when Ella Claridge was caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Rhianna Southby and Kirstie Gordon fell lbw but Graham rebooted the innings. She took successive fours off Freya Davies and found the gaps cleverly, particularly on the off side, on the way to a 40-ball half-century.In reply, Vipers soon lost Knott, trapped lbw by a big inswinger from Grace Ballinger, but skipper Adams laid a solid base for the chase with a two half-century stands – 55 in 11 overs with Ella McCaughan and 52 in eight with Elwiss.Blaze hit back with two wickets in four balls when Adams (47) was run out by a direct hit from the boundary by Lucy Higham and Emily Windsor cut Cassidy McCarthy hard to point.At 124 for 4, Vipers were vulnerable but Elwiss and Norgrove worked the ball around skilfully on the way to a century partnership in 124 balls. Elwiss reached her 50 from 60 balls and Norgrove followed to hers in 53.Kathryn Bryce bowled Blaze back into the game with two wickets in four balls when Norgrove chipped to mid-wicket and Alice Monaghan missed a heave and was bowled. Seventeen were needed from the last two overs but 12 came from the first of them to ease the pressure and Elwiss sealed the victory with six over mid-wicket that took her to three figures.