Kings are better placed, but neither team can afford more slip-ups if they want to stay afloat

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2023

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have no option but to win each of their last three games to finish on 14 points, and then hope that several other results fall in place for them to qualify. One way for that to happen is if Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians win most of their games, leaving the other teams on 12 or 13 points. Then Capitals can qualify even without net run-rate coming into play.However, a defeat on Saturday will eliminate them from the tournament.

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings have one extra win compared to Capitals in as many games. That means they can still go up to 16 points, which could be enough for direct qualification without getting caught up in NRR complications. However, depending on how other results go, they could miss out despite getting to 16.If they lose to Capitals, Kings will have to win their last two, finish on 14, and then hope that several other results go their way to help them qualify. That could happen if Titans and Super Kings win most of their matches, leaving other teams on 14 to battle it out for two spots. That means Kings will have to focus on their victory margins as well, given they currently have a very negative NRR.

CA unveil domestic summer schedule with A series locked in for August and September in Queensland while there will be six Shield rounds before the first Test against Pakistan

Alex Malcolm14-Jul-2023Australia A will host New Zealand A in two four-day games, including a day-night pink ball match, and three 50-over matches in Queensland in August and September as Cricket Australia unveiled its full domestic schedule for the 2023-24 summer.Australia A toured New Zealand in April for two four-day games, and a return series has been locked in for August and September in Brisbane and Mackay in Queensland. CA also announced there will be a Prime Minister’s XI four-day game against Pakistan at Manuka Oval in Canberra ahead of Australia’s first Test of the home summer against Pakistan in Perth on December 14. West Indies will also play a CA XI in a four-day tour game starting on January 10 at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide before the first Test of a two-Test series against Australia begins at Adelaide Oval on January 17.Related

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The Sheffield Shield season will run from October 3, 2023, until the final on March 21-25, 2024. There will be six Shield rounds before the first Test but the last of those six games begins on November 28 to accommodate the BBL starting earlier on December 7. That may mean that Australia’s multi-format players are likely to go without a red-ball game before the Pakistan Test series with the 50-over World Cup set to run from October 5 until November 19 in India. Australia are scheduled to then stay in India and play a five-match T20I series straight after the completion of the World Cup, prior to the home Test series against Pakistan.Players, support staff and management celebrate another Western Australia title•Getty Images

The Marsh Cup 50-over competition will remain as an eight-game tournament rather than a full 10-round home and away season with some matches also played at neutral venues. Two-time defending champions Western Australia will begin their tilt for a three-peat against Queensland at Allan Border Field on September 24. The majority of the Marsh Cup will be played prior to the BBL with each state playing their final two matches after the BBL has finished in late January. The Marsh Cup final will be played on February 25.The WNCL final will be played the day before on February 24. The women’s domestic season will begin on September 22 at Cricket New South Wales’ new facility, Cricket Central at Sydney Olympic Park. The venue will host WNCL, WBBL, and Marsh Cup matches this summer as well as its maiden first-class game with NSW to host Queensland in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield season. Adelaide Oval will also host a day-night WNCL match between South Australia and Victoria on January 29 as part of CA’s push to get more domestic women’s matches on the bigger international venues.There will also be a Governor General’s XI match against South Africa’s women’s team on January 24 at North Sydney Oval ahead of the women’s multiformat seven-match series against Australia starting on January 27.

Seamer remains optimistic about playing a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence

Matt Roller26-Jul-2023Olly Stone has been ruled out of the Hundred with a hamstring injury but remains optimistic about his chances of being fit to play a part in England’s 50-over World Cup defence in India in October-November.Stone hoped to feature in England’s Ashes squad this summer but has been limited to a single appearance since May 4 due to a hamstring injury, suffered while playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.He made a comeback in the T20 Blast on June 30, during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, with the intention of playing some part in the fourth or fifth Tests. But he lasted only three balls before walking off the field midway through an over, and has not played since.Stone was signed on a £100,000 contract by London Spirit in March’s draft for the Hundred but has been forced to withdraw from the competition. ESPNcricinfo understands that Dan Worrall, the Australian seamer who qualifies as a local player in English domestic cricket, has been signed as a replacement.Related

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Stone’s injury is not thought to be as serious as the one that ended up ruling him out of the Ashes, but it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for England’s white-ball series against New Zealand, which starts on August 30. Instead, he may target the three-match ODI series against Ireland from September 20 for a potential return.He has only played eight ODIs and one T20I, but as an out-and-out fast bowler who can regularly reach speeds in excess of 90mph/145kph, Stone is seen as an important part of England’s white-ball plans – particularly in the context of a gruelling World Cup schedule.Meanwhile, a number of New Zealand players are negotiating short-term replacement deals in the Hundred. New Zealand will tour England for four T20Is and four ODIs in August-September and NZC announced last week that Matt Henry, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi are due to be involved in the Hundred immediately the series starts.Neesham is expected to play for Oval Invincibles as a short-term replacement for Heinrich Klaasen when he is playing for South Africa against Australia, while Sodhi is likely to replace Rashid Khan at Trent Rockets during Afghanistan’s fixtures against Pakistan. Santner is expected to join Southern Brave on a short-term basis.Their deals will be confirmed later this week by the ECB. The involvement of five New Zealand men’s players – Finn Allen, Devon Conway (both Southern Brave), Adam Milne (Birmingham Phoenix), Daryl Mitchell (London Spirit) and Glenn Phillips (Welsh Fire) – has already been announced publicly.

David fireworks come too late as Brave come unstuck on slow deck at Ageas Bowl

Matthew Luddington19-Aug-2023Oval Invincibles 139 for 7 (T Curran 43*, Jordan 3-20) beat Southern Brave 131 for 7 (David 44*, T Curran 3-43) by 8 runs
Tom Curran smashed 43 off just 28 balls and took three wickets as Oval Invincibles beat Southern Brave by eight runs and all but secured top spot and their place in The Hundred final.Chris Jordan took three wickets, all clean bowled, in a devasting spell of bowling to leave the Invincibles 90 for seven before Curran rescued the innings in a vital 49-run partnership off just 22 balls with Nathan Sowter to propel the Invincibles to 139 for seven.Curran then took three wickets himself, and the Invincibles spinners dominated the middle sets to restrict the Brave to 131 for seven. Tim David top-scored with 44 and hit four of the last five balls of the match for six, but the Brave drop to fourth in the table, with a vital last-round clash against Manchester Originals next Wednesday.Sam Billings elected to bat first and Jason Roy edged his first ball from George Garton for four, then had an early life after he ramped Craig Overton straight to Tymal Mills at short fine leg, but Mills lost sight of the ball at the crucial moment.Will Jacks pulled an enormous six off Garton and sliced a wide full toss just over short third man for four, but was trapped lbw by Craig Overton.Roy hit three boundaries with a pull, a flick and a scoop off Overton’s final set of the powerplay as the Invincibles reached 38 for one.Thirteen deliveries without a boundary followed, and the pressure soon told as Roy was bowled advancing down the wicket to an 89mph Chris Jordan delivery, and Rehan Ahmed trapped Tawanda Muyeye plumb in front.Heinrich Klaasen struck three boundaries in four balls, including a glorious shot over extra cover, before Jordan sent his middle stump flying out of the ground with a beauty.Jordan then bowled Sam Billings second-ball for his third dismissal in a devastating spell of bowling.Mills plucked an incredible one-handed return catch out of the air to remove Sam Curran, and when Ross Whiteley was run out Invincibles had slumped to 90 for seven.Tom Curran rescued the innings with 43 off 28 in a partnership of 49 off just 22 balls with Sowter.He struck three consecutive boundaries from Mills, hoisted Jordan for an enormous six over midwicket in the penultimate set, and tonked Mills over long-on for a six in a final set that went for 17 runs to propel the Invincibles to 139 for seven.In response Finn Allen struck Spencer Johnson over mid-on, before ramping him past short fine leg. Devon Conway flicked Johnson for a boundary, before hoisting Sowter for six to long-on, and clubbing a four to mid-wicket.Tom Curran broke the opening stand with a disguised slower ball that Conway nicked behind.Spin duo Adam Zampa and Sowter dominated after the powerplay, bowling four sets in tandem as Brave failed muster a boundary for 26 deliveries.Allen then launched Tom Curran for a four and a six through square leg, but skied his next delivery and Roy charged in from long-on to take a tough catch on the second juggle.Soon after Jacks bowled Leus du Plooy with a jaffa and Zampa dismissed Vince who holed out to long-on.Colin Ackermann clubbed a Sam Curran slower ball straight to deep mid-wicket, before Garton top edged Tom Curran to Billings.David produced some late fireworks with five enormous sixes to cheer up the crowd, but the Brave fell to an eight-run defeat.

Allrounder Bas de Leede says the team has set themselves a high target at their first ODI World Cup since 2011

Shashank Kishore05-Oct-20232:33

Bas de Leede: ‘Us being here is massive for the sport back home’

Netherlands allrounder Bas de Leede is clear about his team’s targets at the World Cup.For starters, they aren’t thinking of themselves as Associates. They want to play as equals with the big boys. For de Leede, there’s no bigger motivation than that.”We want to make the semi-finals,” he announced ahead of their first game against Pakistan in Hyderabad. It may seem a fanciful dream to many, considering Netherlands haven’t played an ODI since the World Cup Qualifiers in June.They arrived in India late September for two warm-up games against Karnataka, and the nature of pitches proved a challenge. In the first game, they slumped to 3 for 8, before making 114 in pursuit of 266. In the second, they made 295 and lost by one wicket.Netherlands had both their World Cup warm-ups against Australia and India washed out; and Mitchell Starc blew away their top order in the little play that was possible. It was a reminder of what they can expect when they face Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.Related

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Several first-choice players had missed Netherlands’ glorious run at the World Cup Qualifiers to honour their English county contracts. De Leede was among those who made it to Zimbabwe thanks to Durham making letting him go play.”We obviously don’t get to play together as a team very often because guys are spread out,” he said. “But I think the learnings we can take from Karnataka was, first of all, it was nice to play together as a team and try and adapt to Indian conditions.”Obviously, it’s one thing training in Indian conditions, but then another thing going out and playing and seeing what it’s like in a game. Then you know lack of game time. It was a shame that the warm-up games got rained off. But I think in the nets, we try and replicate game scenarios and try and be as competitive as we can when bowling to each other, when facing each other.”Does the prospect of playing Full Member teams seem intimidating? Not quite. De Leede spoke of how Netherlands ran Pakistan close over three ODIs in Rotterdam last August.In the first match of that series, Netherlands nearly chased down Pakistan’s 314 but fell 16 short. In the third ODI, having restricted Pakistan to 206, they were 108 for 3 before collapsing to lose by nine runs.Bas de Leede played an important role in Netherlands qualifying for the World Cup•Albert Perez/ICC/Getty Images

“I think the experience of the whole Super League, having played against bigger nations, was fantastic for us,” de Leede said. “And obviously, Pakistan, having played them last year in Rotterdam in three ODIs, it’ll be nice to sort of be familiar with the team and the players and stuff, having played them before.”I think that will help us a little bit. But obviously, you know, they’ve evolved. They’ve gotten better. They’ve got different skills now as well, even with Shaheen [Afridi] coming back, who didn’t play that series.”Twice during the press conference, de Leede was asked to be “realistic” in terms of setting expectations.”We want to make the semi-finals,” he said both times. “If we want to get there, we’ve got to win four or five games. So, we’d have to take down one of the big teams. But that’s (semi-finals) our main target. And if we get there, we play our best cricket. Amazing. But if we play our best cricket and we don’t get there, I reckon we can still be proud of ourselves.”How will they approach their quest to make the final four? Play with a nothing-to-lose approach or set high goals and try to get there?”I think probably a mixture of both,” he said. “I don’t think any of the teams have got anything to lose. They’ve got something to gain, which is winning the World Cup. I think for us, obviously it’s special being back for the first time since 2011, but we’ve set our goal high which is making the semi-final. I don’t think if we don’t make it, we’re a failure or anything like that.”I think if we don’t make it, but we have played our best cricket, we can still be proud of ourselves. But by setting the goal to make the semi-final, I think we can probably do more than what people expect from us.”

The India captain says the side were “not great with the bat” in Lucknow, but having hung around to give his bowlers something to work with, he knew they could “do magic”

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-20231:46

Pujara pleased to see Rohit bring out the sweep

For the very first time in this World Cup, India had to set a total. And, coming up against England in Lucknow, they were off to a rocky start at 40 for 3 in the 12th over. From there, as per their captain and Player of the Match Rohit Sharma, it was vital for him to use all his experience on a challenging pitch and “bat to the situation”.”It’s just not about going and playing my shots, when you have that much experience you’ve got to use that experience and do whatever is necessary for the team, and it was at that point in time necessary for me to take the game as deep as possible and create that partnership and get to a decent total,” Rohit said after the game.He had raced away to 17 off 11 in the first two overs after England put India in, but as England repeatedly broke through at the other end, he cut back, easing his way to 29 off 40 before he would hit his next boundary – in the 14th over on his way to 87 off 101, which set India up for a 100-run win.That margin of victory might be as convincing as they come, but Rohit felt India had left a lot of runs out on the field. He had done the initial repair job with KL Rahul, putting on a stand of 91 for the fourth wicket, and then adding 33 more in partnership with Suryakumar Yadav before falling 13 short of a hundred. From there, England chipped away regularly, tying India down to 229 for 9.Related

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“I still felt like we were 20-30 runs short once we finished,” Rohit said. “The new ball was a bit challenging and then obviously as the game went on the ball got softer, it was not easy to rotate strike. But we said in the middle that we’ve got to keep digging in, keep digging in and then, finally, you know we got to a decent partnership there, but like I said we were 20-30 runs short towards the end.”Regardless of the conditions, Rohit said some of India’s issues came down to their batters being loose. Shubman Gill was bowled by a good one from Chris Woakes – albeit driving a touch airily – and then Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were poor in their shot selection, offering up catches, the former for a duck. After their repair work Rahul and Rohit, and then Suryakumar too, were caught going for the big shots.Rohit Sharma kept India on track despite early losses•ICC via Getty Images

“We were not great with the bat today, losing three wickets in the first powerplay isn’t the ideal situation but when you are in a situation like that all you are looking to do is create that long partnership, which we got. But then couple of guys threw it [away] at the end, including myself,” Rohit said. “But at that stage all I was thinking was to be positive and the balls in my areas I wanted to put it away. That’s how you put the pressure back on the bowler and the opposition as well but, yeah, when you look at the overall picture, I thought we were 30 runs short there.”Those lost runs were quickly forgotten as India quickly carved up England’s line-up, pacers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah doing the early damage. Rohit was all praise for his attack: “With the experience that our seamers have now, you know you can always rely and bank on it that they could come good and get you those crucial breakthroughs and that is exactly what our seamers did. They exploited the conditions well and I thought they put the ball in the right areas to create that doubt in the batsmen’s minds.”Asked by Michael Atherton at the post-match presentation if India’s is the best-rounded attack in the tournament, Rohit said: “We’ve got a good balance. A couple of good spinners and the seamers have a lot of experience playing in these conditions and, yeah, if I look at the overall options I have in terms of bowling, there is a fair bit and with experience as well.”So you know when you have a bowling line up like that, it’s very important that the batters put the runs on the board, give them something to work for and then rely on them to do the magic.”And magic they did, rolling England over with 15 overs to spare to keep India unbeaten at the top of the table and consign the defending champions to their fifth loss in six games.

David Warner, meanwhile, credits Pakistan’s bowling attack for bowling “unbelievable channels”

Danyal Rasool26-Dec-20234:16

How good were Pakistan bowlers on the day?

The scorecard might not suggest too much reason for optimism, but Pakistan fast bowler Hasan Ali has always tried to look at the brighter side. And on a gloomy Boxing Day in Melbourne where Pakistan toiled hard for the reward of just three wickets in 66 overs despite prodigious swing and several passages of play where Australia’s batters looked shaky, 187 for 3 isn’t exactly the scoreline Pakistan will have wished for after winning the toss and inserting Australia under grey skies.Hasan, though, felt Pakistan’s discipline and ability to keep Australia shackled meant they retained the upper hand. “We are a bit ahead of them right now,” he said at the post-match press conference. “Honestly, it was a good day as a bowling unit. We are a bit unlucky we haven’t got enough wickets, but the best thing is we have not given them enough runs. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, and restricting them to the minimum possible score.”Pakistan captain Shan Masood had effectively thrown down the gauntlet to Hasan and his fellow fast bowlers. After narrowing down the squad for the Test to XII a day earlier, his Pakistan side had made the decision to cut their sole specialist spinner Sajid Khan from the starting XI, thus fielding an all-seam attack for the second consecutive game. Winning the toss and choosing to bowl was a sign he wanted them to do a job for him.Related

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Hasan, left out of the first Test for the uncapped pair of Khurram Shahzad and Aamer Jamal, could argue he did exactly that. Coming on as Pakistan’s first-change bowler, he locked the scoring rate down just as Australia’s openers had begun to cut loose slightly. The helpful overhead conditions saw him generate movement through the air, and coupled with prodigious seam movement, he threatened both of David Warner’s edges.Post lunch, Hasan – and Pakistan – kicked the intensity up a notch. With ominous clouds threatening an interruption any moment, Pakistan began to recover from a wayward final half hour or so before lunch, tightening their lines and squeezing Australia’s run rate. Usman Khawaja had looked the most comfortable of the batters until that point, but a slightly audacious shot against a moving ball from Hasan found second slip, and Pakistan had two in quick succession, bookending the lunch break with the wickets of both openers.”There are certain times when the bowlers are a bit wayward as [we were before lunch], or the bowlers have different plans,” Hasan said. “But there is always a chance to come back. After lunch, we had a small discussion, and we were especially good in that period. We just gave them about 20 runs in that session.”It was the period in the game – indeed, in the series – that Pakistan looked most self-assured. Khawaja’s wicket saw an extended spell of Pakistani bowling dominance over Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, clogging up nearly all scoring opportunities. The 63 balls they survived after Khawaja’s wicket saw just seven runs scored, with every Pakistan bowler who came on probing and prodding, giving little away.Frustratingly for them, they got little back in return, too. Arguably, Australia’s two most stubborn batters saw off that period, and much of an extended session after the weather interruption, thus shielding themselves from the worst of the damage. Even Warner, who had almost chastised Pakistan’s bowlers for being bullied off their lines early on in Perth, gave them credit for “bowling beautifully”.David Warner was dropped on 2 by Abdullah Shafique•AFP/Getty Images

“Credit to the way that Pakistan bowled,” he said. “They bowled unbelievable channels. I think the way that [Mir] Hamza bowled around the wicket and pretty much at the end, it was almost like he was bowling with a Duke ball. He actually used his skills very, very well. Made the boys play and put the ball in the right area. I think going into tomorrow, we’re in a pretty good position. We’re going to have to bat well and try to set up for our bowlers.”If you’re not bowling quick in Australia, you have to have some skill base to actually hit that line and length area to actually create something. I think with these guys, they have actually been very, very good. I think they’ve been outstanding. They came back last Test match after lunch, and bowled a great line and length. With Shaheen Shah Afridi doing his job – and he bowled well today with not so much luck [but] when he’s up and about, I think the rest of the guys follow him – I think they’re fine.”There was, of course, the customary “what if”. Warner shouldn’t have been in the position to notch up a 90-run opening stand, because when he was on 2, Afridi drew an outside edge that floated to Abdullah Shafique at first slip. There was no mitigating factor for the drop; he wasn’t unsighted and no one else distracted him. But as has happened far too often in Australia – and far too often against Warner – Pakistan gave him a chance, and deprived themselves of the opportunity to make an early breakthrough.”If we’d caught it early, maybe the situation would have been different; but this is a part of the game – you drop some catches and you take others,” Hasan ruefully said. However, Pakistan didn’t let it define their day, and Hasan’s attitude suggests they will refuse to let the inability to take the wickets they felt they deserved define this Test, too.

“It does affect each person. And anyone who says that doesn’t affect them at all, I’m sure is lying”

Sidharth Monga27-Dec-20234:01

Rahul: Huge luck factor for me in scoring runs here

KL Rahul has spoken of his struggle with online abuse and how it had begun to change him as a person. After he capped off his international comeback with a superlative century, his sixth away from Asia out of eight in all, this one with the added responsibility of keeping wicket, Rahul spoke of the work he put on his mind during the injury break just before the World Cup.”It is difficult obviously,” Rahul said of handling what is said about him. “You have your own personality, personality traits, characteristics. When you play international cricket, they all get challenged. As a person, as a cricketer, as an individual, you are challenged each day, each moment. Social media is a pressure. Today I have scored a hundred so people are singing praises. Three-four months ago, everybody was abusing me. It’s part of the game, but I can’t say it doesn’t affect you; it does. The sooner you realise that staying away from it is good for your game and your mindset the better it is.Related

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“You can perform or you can be in a better mindset if you slightly know where to draw the line. Nobody’s that great that they can completely avoid what has been said and the criticism they’re getting. It does affect each person. And anyone who says that doesn’t affect them at all, I’m sure is lying. But each person has to find their way. And for me, when I was injured and was away from the game for such a long time, I worked on myself. I tried to go back to the person that I am, and worked on how I don’t change myself by getting affected by these things. It is difficult to remain true to yourself and true to your personality with so much happening. It is the hardest thing.”But like anything else in cricket, like anything else in life, there’s, there are ways to work on it. There are people who can help you if your mind is open. So that’s what I did when I was out of the game. I worked on myself and then worked on remaining calmer, and taking care of my head. And what happens inside as well.”Rahul said there was never any point retaliating because those who want to abuse carry on regardless. He said that the only way to keep negative comments away as a public-facing professional was to keep performing, but what he spoke about his innings also suggested that he perhaps appreciates the role of luck much more now. That when the runs are not coming, it is not necessarily your fault, that you do need luck in this sport. Interestingly, it came through in his acknowledgement of luck in this innings, a sensational 101 off 137 in a team score of 245 in testing conditions.Rahul was answering a question about batting in Centurion, where he has now scored two consecutive hundreds, when he brought up luck. “I’ve quite enjoyed playing here,” Rahul said. “The wicket really keeps reminding you that you need to focus throughout, and you’re never really set. You’re never really in or you’re never really out of the game. It’s a fast outfield. The minute you time the ball, you get boundaries and there will be times when you can score your runs really fast and there will be times when you can’t get a run at all. So that’s quite challenging.”And I enjoyed doing that here in Centurion, and I guess I just got lucky twice. Did a few things right, but also it was a huge luck factor. Played and missed a lot of balls. So yeah, that’s it.”Rahul, and most cricketers, knows that on another day an early play and miss resulting in an edge doesn’t necessarily make them a bad player, but that needs to be reinforced once in a while because people eventually judge you on the results.Having scored this century, Rahul retained the calmness that should naturally follow as the other side of the coin. He said he was humbled that Sunil Gavaskar called it one of the 10 best centuries of all time by Indians. He also confirmed what has been said about him: that middle order is perhaps the better place for him because there he just needs to react to situations rather than create situations when opening the batting.”Batting in the middle order, what I’ve realised is that you can’t really plan your innings all that much,” Rahul said. “When you walk in, there’s a situation in front of you. The game tells you how you need to play and what you need to do in that time and in that moment. That’s what I try to do. I try to walk in with a very free and very empty mindset when I’m batting in the middle order, and then see what the game demands of me and then try and do my best in that moment.”

The selectors have also named two squads for a ‘Green vs Gold’ red-ball match in Adelaide next month

Andrew McGlashan10-Feb-2024Spin-bowling allrounder Sophie Molineux has been recalled to Australia’s Test squad to face South Africa at the WACA.She is part of a 14-player group that includes five spin options. Molineux, who currently does not hold a central contract, last played for Australia in 2021 and in December last year returned to action after a year sidelined by an ACL injury. Last month she scored a half-century for the Governor-General’s XI against the South Africans and is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the WNCL.”It was a nice call to make,” national selector Shawn Flegler said. “She’s been through a lot in the last couple of years. She was pretty emotional. She’s put a lot of hard work in over the last 12 months but even the previous 12 months as well [and has] missed out some big tournaments for us.Related

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“We’ve always kept in touch with her. We spoke to her pretty quickly afterwards and said there’s a lot of cricket coming up next season, focus on that, get yourself right and see what happens after that. She has come back and played really well…has probably surprised herself a little bit with how well she’s gone. She was an all-format player before she got injured and she’s come back in great nick.”Molineux is likely competing with the experienced Jess Jonassen for a place in the final XI with Flegler indicating it was unlikely that both left-arm spinners would play in the same side.From Australia’s previous Test squad against India, Lauren Cheatle (unavailable) and Heather Graham are not part of this group. Left-arm seamer Cheatle has recently undergone surgery for skin cancer which has ruled her out of the rest of the season.”Really tough, devastating, and the WACA probably would’ve suited her more than the India Test match, as well,” Flegler said of Cheatle. “Obviously our thoughts are with her, she just needs to concentrate on her health and hopefully she comes back and gets herself right again and gets herself back in contention.”When she’s swinging it and bowling with some pace, she’s a threat. There’s not too many left-arm pace bowlers in the world like her. She just needs to focus on getting healthy.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The experienced Megan Schutt has been included among the frontline pace options despite being open in her belief that Test cricket is now behind her. Barring injury to another option, she would appear unlikely to make the starting XI.It will be Australia’s third Test in nine months following the Ashes clash against England and the match against India in December.The squad has tried to cover as many permutations as possible with some uncertainty over what conditions will be on offer and a forecast of hot weather.”The WACA has spun this season as well,” Flegler said. “It’s going to be hot early next week, 39 on the first day as well, so we’ll have to see what the wicket looks like when we turn up. It could be a pace-bowling wicket, traditionally the WACA has been, but we’ve got all bases covered.”Meanwhile, the selectors have also named two squads for a ‘Green vs Gold’ three-day red-ball fixture which is part of an expanded Australia A programme to enable players to get more multi-day experience. CA are also working on locking in reciprocal A tours with India to go alongside their agreement with England.The match will take place at Karen Rolton Oval from March 5-7. Players involved in the WPL were not considered but a number of Australia names will be involved.Georgia Redmayne was not available due to attending a wedding while young quick Chloe Ainsworth has an ankle problem which will be assessed at the end of what has been a breakout season for her.

Green squad

Heather Graham, Maitlan Brown, Maddy Darke, Amy Edgar, Alana King, Chloe Piparo, Lilly Mills, Kate Peterson, Sophie Reid, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Courtney Sippel, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Voll

Gold squad

Charli Knott, Emma de Broughe, Darcie Brown, Sophie Day, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Sianna Ginger, Milly Illingworth, Katie Mack, Grace Parsons, Courtney Webb, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Farooqi took a three-wicket haul to damage Ireland’s chase

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 121 off 117 balls beat Harry Tector’s 138 off 147 balls as Afghanistan sealed their fifth successive win against Ireland in ODI cricket, in Sharjah.Gurbaz scored his sixth ODI hundred – the joint most by an Afghanistan player – to set Afghanistan up for a tall total. He had added 150 for the opening stand with Ibrahim Zadran, who had contributed 60.Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (50*) also made a half-century to give his team some late impetus. Gurbaz hit eight fours and six sixes before he was bowled by Theo van Woerkom in the 39th over. Gurbaz had been particularly severe on both van Woerkom and George Dockrell, taking the left-arm spinners for 54 off 35 balls.Rahmat Shah then then fell soon after to Craig Young, but Afghanistan managed to breach 300, for just the ninth time in ODIs.Left-arm quick Fazalhaq Farooqi then produced a double-strike to get rid of Andy Balbirnie and Curtis Campher. Captain Paul Stirling had also departed early to leave Ireland three down in the powerplay.Tector and wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker then steadied the innings and lifted Ireland with a 173-run partnership for the fourth wicket. While Tector hit his fifth ODI hundred, Tucker was stopped on 85 by Farooqi in the 39th over of the chase. That dismissal sparked another collapse as Ireland lost 4 for 42.Tector then fell in the final over as Afghanistan wrapped up a 35-run victory to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series.