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Two black-soil surfaces are being prepared, but it isn’t clear yet which one will be used for the Kanpur Test

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Sep-20242:23

Manjrekar: I will play Kuldeep Yadav for second Test

There is some uncertainty around the conditions that the second Test between India and Bangladesh will be played in with representatives from both teams admitting that they didn’t know which pitch will be used.”To be honest, I don’t know which surface we are going to play on yet,” India batting coach Abhishek Nayar said on Thursday afternoon, which followed similar thoughts expressed by Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on Wednesday.”Yes I had a look at [the pitch],” Hathurusinghe had said, “But the groundsman has prepared two pitches. We don’t know on which we will play on. Tomorrow we will find out.”During Wednesday’s training session, India captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir had a look at the two pitches that have been prepared for this Test match. They seemed to spend a little more time looking at the drier of the two black-soil surfaces.Related

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Indications are it might start as a good batting surface before taking slow and low turn from the third day onwards. But the weather in the week of the Test match might complicate matters. It’s overcast and there are thunder storms expected on the first three days of the game, which may slow down the natural wear and tear that helps subcontinental pitches become spin-friendly. There was some rain after India’s training session ended on Thursday as well and the groundstaff were quick to get the square covered.India, as a result, are waiting until the morning of the Test to finalise their XI, specifically whether they need an extra spinner instead of the extra seamer they used on Chennai’s red-soil surface.”Both the pitches look pretty good,” Nayar said. “Kanpur is always known to have good pitches. I am not sure about the bounce yet. I think, with the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting as to how when we turn up to go in the morning, the conditions are. I think a lot will depend on that because as you know in Test wicket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays. So it is too early for us to judge and decide or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur.”India lead the series 1-0 and if they go in with a spinner over a seamer, their choice will be between local boy Kuldeep Yadav, who had an outstanding series against England at the start of the year, and Axar Patel, whose ability to relentlessly attack the stumps can come in quite handy if there is low bounce. Axar joined R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the last Test that India played in Kanpur, against New Zealand in 2021, which went into the fifth day with the visitors holding onto their last wicket and drawing the game.

On-loan legspinner shines as Durham chip away on rain-shortened day

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2023Gloucestershire 280 for 6 (Dent 85, Hammond 52, Parkinson 3-45) vs DurhamMatt Parkinson claimed three wickets to halt Gloucestershire’s progress on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Durham at Seat Unique Riverside.Chris Dent impressed at the top of the order with a resolute knock of 85, while Miles Hammond offered a change of pace with a blistering fifty to steer the visitors to 170 for 2 before Parkinson led the Durham fightback.The legspinner removed Hammond, Grant Roelofson and James Bracey and Matthew Potts added the scalp of Dent to reduce Gloucestershire to 280 for 6 before rain brought a premature end to day one.Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bat under the sun at Seat Unique Riverside. Potts and Ben Raine were on their mettle with the Kookaburra ball from the off against the visitors’ opening partnership of Dent and Ben Charlesworth, beating the bat on several occasions without reward in the first half hour. Potts’ persistence earned him the breakthrough with the wicket of Charlesworth, who clipped a tame drive straight to Parkinson at mid-on.The morning session belonged to Gloucestershire as Dent showed his class at the crease to fend off dangerous spells from Durham’s potent attack, featuring new signing Migael Pretorius. Dent and Ollie Price put on 66 and looked primed to take the visitors into lunch one down, but a lapse in Price’s concentration handed Pretorius his first Durham wicket.Dent had to wait until after the interval to score the single required to bring up his second fifty of the season, and his knock continued to provide a valuable foundation for the Gloucestershire innings. Whereas Dent was reserved in his approach, Hammond took the attack to the Durham bowlers after lunch. The right-hander launched back-to-back sixes into the leg-side boundary against Parkinson as he raced to fifty from 43 balls.But, Parkinson would halt his charge for 52 as Scott Borthwick claimed a brilliant catch over his head at cover, which changed the momentum of the session. Dent had frustrated Potts in the morning session and their duel continued into the afternoon before the England seamer produced a beauty to find his outside edge for an impressive 85.Roelofsen and Bracey pressed Gloucestershire to their first batting point, although both were then bowled by Parkinson to open up the tail for the home side. Zafar Gohar and Josh Shaw were left to rebuild the innings before rain ended the day with the visitors 20 runs shy of a second batting bonus point.

He will be available for seven County Championship fixtures till May, after going unsold in the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2024Karun Nair will return to Northamptonshire for seven County Championship fixtures in April and May after he went unsold in the IPL auction.Northants brought Nair in for the final three matches of last season as part of a failed bid to avoid relegation to Division Two, but his brief stint with the club was a success. He registered scores of 78, 150 and 21 in his three innings and John Sadler, Northants’ head coach, said Nair was his “main target” for 2024.”Not only did he score some incredible runs for us, his calmness, his temperament, and his hunger for more runs was superb,” Sadler said in a press release. “We are delighted to get him on board with us again and I’m sure he will be a super asset for us again this season.”His availability for the early stages of the season was unclear until mid-December due to the possibility of IPL commitments, after he was brought in as a replacement by Lucknow Super Giants midway through IPL 2023. But he went unsold at the mini-auction in Dubai, and has now committed to the first seven games of the Championship season.”I’m thrilled to be returning to Northamptonshire for another stint of County Championship cricket.” Nair said. “Our aim is to win games and get promoted and I’m excited to get stuck in with the bat and help the team secure victories.”I would like to thank the coach and captain for believing in me and giving me this wonderful opportunity. I was really happy with my form last season and hopefully I can get going right away and put big runs on the board.”Nair, 32, played six Tests and two ODIs for India, a brief international career which featured an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai in late 2016. He remains one of two men to score a triple century for India in Tests alongside Virender Sehwag, who did so twice.Nair will be replaced by compatriot Prithvi Shaw midway through the English summer. Shaw agreed to return to the club for the second half of the season after a successful stint last year and is due to arrive in June after representing Delhi Capitals in the IPL.Chris Tremain, the Australian seamer, will feature alongside Nair as Northants’ second overseas player in the first month of the season, while the club recently announced that Sikandar Raza will join them for the T20 Blast.

Klaasen, Miller, Maharaj and Rabada all had a hand in helping them win by four runs

Firdose Moonda10-Jun-20242:25

Should cricket revisit the leg-bye rule on a referral?

South Africa survived an almighty scare to to maintain a 100% win-record at the T20 World Cup 2024, and in New York, where they chose to bat first in their final fixture at Eisenhower Park. On a used wicket, Aiden Markram decided to put a total on the board, and it almost looked like a mistake. South Africa were 23 for 4, but a record 79-run fifth-wicket stand between Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller took them to 113, which they scrapped hard to defend.Bangladesh’s start was not ideal. They were 50 for 4 after ten overs, but Towhid Hridoy and Mahmudullah put on 44 for the fifth wicket and got them back on track. They almost also got them over the line and will look back on one incident which could have forced a Super Over. In the 17th over, Mahmudullah missed a flick off Ottneil Baartman, which hit his front pad and deflected to the boundary for what looked like four leg byes. But he was given out off that ball, which made it dead at the point of impact, and reviewed the decision. Ball-tracking showed Mahmudullah was not out, but because he had been given out, the four runs did not count, as outlined by the ICC’s protocols on DRS (3.7.1) in the playing conditions for T20Is.In the end. Bangladesh fell short by four runs. That, and their inability to capitalise on Keshav Maharaj bowling the final over for the first time in T20Is and sending down three full tosses, cost them the game.Maharaj was tasked with the final over after Markram bowled the seamers out earlier. It seemed a miscalculation, but he got two wickets as Bangladesh sought to clear the boundary though neither Jaker Ali nor Mahmudullah could. Mahmudullah was out on the penultimate ball – off a full toss – to a well-timed running catch by Markram from long-on, which all but ended Bangladesh’s hopes.0:59

Morkel: South Africa held their nerve defending a low total

South Africa leave the USA with three wins from three matches, and will move to St. Vincent to play Nepal in their last group match. They are in pole position to qualify for the Super 8s. Bangladesh also head to the West Indies, and will play Netherlands and Nepal, with the Super 8s still in sight.

Top-three troubles

For all the talk about the power of their batting line-up, South Africa’s top three have underperformed thus far, albeit on tough batting surfaces. Collectively, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Markram have scored 61 runs in nine trips to the crease at an average of 6.77. Of teams that have played at least two matches at the tournament, only Uganda and PNG average lower.The biggest concern will be Hendricks, whose scores of 4, 3 and 0 are the lowest of the trio, and whose methods of dismissal appear to show a technical deficiency. Twice in two games, Hendricks has been stuck in his crease and then played down the wrong line. He’ll be looking over his shoulder knowing fellow opener Ryan Rickelton is waiting on the bench, and could get an opportunity in the next match.Things got even worse when Tristan Stubbs was dismissed for a duck in the fifth over. South Africa have only lost their first four wickets by end of the fifth over on five occasions in men’s T20Is, and two of them came in this competition. Happily for them, they had Klaasen and Miller on hand to shore up the mid-section of the innings.

Three overs: 13 runs

After Tanzim Hasan (3 for 18) set the tone with wickets upfront, Taskin Ahmed took charge of the latter stages, helped by Rishad Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. Between them, the trio gave away just 13 runs in the last three overs of South Africa’s innings, and removed both danger batters Klaasen and Miller in a clutch display of death bowling. Klaasen was dismissed halfway through the 18th over, when he slogged across the line but was early on his shot, and the low bounce took the ball onto leg stump. Taskin only conceded three singles off the rest of that over to finish with 2 for 19 from his four overs.It may have been a gamble to use legspinner Rishad for the penultimate over, especially when his previous three cost 28 runs, but he knocked Miller out with a topspinner second ball, and Maharaj could not get him away. Rishad’s final over cost just four. Then came the Fizz, who took the ball away from Maharaj for four consecutive dots before a fifth went wide and was called as such. The batters scored three runs off the last two balls and were frustrated by their inability to score any boundaries in the last three overs.1:24

Morkel: Miller and Klaasen showed maturity against spinners

Happy Birthday David Miller

On his 35th birthday, Miller was given a gift when he edged the first ball Mahmudullah bowled. But Litton Das, who was standing up to the stumps, was unable to react quickly enough to take the catch. Miller was on 13 at the time and went on to more than double his score and finish on 29. But that wasn’t the end of the presents for him. He was stationed at extra cover when Maharaj was brought on to bowl the first over after the powerplay, and Litton, not content with what he had already given Miller, slapped the ball straight to him. Miller made no mistake, and Bangladesh were 29 for 2 in the seventh over.

Three overs: 15 runs

Bangladesh had to get 20 runs off the last 18 balls, and after putting on the squeeze in that period would have expected it to be difficult but perhaps not difficult. Kagiso Rabada bowled the 18th over, despite not being his best at the tournament so far. He only half-appealed when Hridoy missed an attempted clip to the leg side but was rewarded with a wicket first up. Rabada went on to concede only one more run in an over of hard lengths.Then Baartman stepped up for the 19th, and stuck to a slightly fuller length which neither Mahmudullah nor Jaker could get away. He conceded seven runs. The test was when Maharaj, who has never done this job before, was left with the final six balls. He started with a wide. His second legal ball was a low full toss that Mahmudullah hit hard down the ground, but the slow outfield stopped it from getting to the rope. Jaker tried to send the next one over the rope but couldn’t clear long-on, and then Rishad managed a leg bye.But the last two balls were both full tosses that should have been dispatched over the rope. However, Mahmdullah’s effort found Markram, while Taskin could only hit the final ball to cover to give South Africa a nervy anti-choke win.

Key signings announced ahead of first season of new women’s county competition in 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2024Bess Heath, England’s up-and-coming wicketkeeper-batter, has signed a three-year deal with Durham that will make her one of the mainstays of the Tier 1 outfit, based at Chester-le-Street, when it replaces the existing Northern Diamonds team in the new women’s county competition from 2025 onwards.Heath, 22, has scored more than 3000 runs in all formats since her professional debut four years ago, and made the first of her five England appearances against Sri Lanka last year. In her short career, which began in Derbyshire’s youth system, she has also represented Brisbane Heat, Northern Superchargers, Melbourne Stars and Yorkshire.With Northern Diamonds, she reached the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in her maiden season in 2020, then went on to lift the trophy two years later. Last summer, her haul of 286 runs in the same competition earned her a nomination for the PCA Women’s Young Player of the Year award.Her decision to commit to Durham comes with the Diamonds squad in a state of some flux, following the decision to move the new club’s base from Headingley to Chester-le-Street. Lauren Winfield-Hill, Heath’s team-mate and fellow wicketkeeper, who also captains Northern Superchargers, is expected to commit her own future to her native Yorkshire, despite their Tier 2 status next summer.On joining Durham, Heath said: “I am so excited to be joining Durham from next season and get going in the North East. The opportunity to join Durham is something I am very much looking forward to and hopefully I can play my part in creating new history for Durham.”Marcus North, Director of Cricket said: “Bess is one of the most exciting young talents in England, and we are thrilled to have recruited her to Durham on a long-term contract.”Despite being only 22, she already has a tremendous amount of experience in the domestic game and we look forward to seeing her continue to thrive at Durham as she looks to add more England caps.”Meanwhile, David Ripley has been appointed as the Head Coach of Northamptonshire’s Women for their first season in Tier 2 next year.Ripley, who guided Northamptonshire’s men to two T20 Blast titles in 2013 and 2016, also achieved two promotions to the County Championship Division One to cement his status as the club’s greatest coach.He will officially take up his new role in February 2025, ahead of a maiden Tier 2 season that will also feature Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Sussex, Worcestershire and Yorkshire.”I’m delighted to be joining the Women’s Steelbacks as Head Coach, it’s exciting times ahead as the new format is rolled out,” Ripley said. “As well as a competitive senior team I hope to help develop our younger girls into future professional players, in partnership with our pathway coaches.”

New Zealand came close in the 219-run chase, but Sri Lanka did enough to get a consolation win

Madushka Balasuriya02-Jan-2025In the end, Sri Lanka did enough. That’s not something you’d expect to say about a team that had racked up 218 runs in their first innings, but it speaks towards just how well New Zealand had set about their chase for most of the innings. It was a victory set up largely by Kusal Perera’s maiden T20I ton, the fastest ever by a Sri Lankan, coming off just 44 deliveries.For about 15 overs of the chase New Zealand were keeping up with the nearly 11-an-over required rate, and when Daryl Mitchell struck Charith Asalanka for four consecutive sixes in a 25-run 15th over they might have even been ahead.Sri Lanka then thought they had done enough with a couple of wickets at the death, before Zachary Foulkes’ final-over fireworks provided yet another scare. But despite frayed nerves, Sri Lanka held on to close out a consolatory seven-run win.Having entered inside the powerplay, Perera fell with less than two overs left in the innings, and such was the impact of his innings even a run-a-ball final two overs couldn’t prevent Sri Lanka from registering their second-highest T20I total ever.Asalanka also played a starring role – despite the treatment meted out by Mitchell – backing up his 46 with the bat with a three-wicket haul that derailed New Zealand’s well-planned chase. He also took a scorcher of a catch at extra cover to cap an impressive outing. There was however no looking beyond Perera for the player of the match award.Jacob Duffy, a thorn in Sri Lanka’s side throughout the series, picked up just the solitary wicket this time round, although his economy rate of 7.50 was still the best of any bowler who bowled at least two overs in the game. He was deservedly named player of the series.

SL and NZ trade early blows

The rollercoaster nature of the game was telegraphed right from the start. Sri Lanka lost three of their top four inside the opening 10 overs, and their openers inside the powerplay, but they didn’t let that slow them down.Kusal Mendis struck 22 off 16, Pathum Nissanka 14 off 12 and Avishka Fernando 17 off 12, as Sri Lanka kept a steady rate of around eight an over.Despite the early wickets, it could have been better too, had New Zealand held on to miscued reverse sweep off Perera when he was on just 15.Despite taking two excellent grabs to dismiss both Nissanka and Mendis, it was the chance they will likely look back on and regret.Mitchell Santner celebrates Kusal Mendis’ wicket•MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images

Perera and Sri Lanka turn on the afterburners

Despite losing three wickets, Sri Lanka’s score of 85 after the first 10 overs constituted their best score at the halfway mark of an innings all series. But the 10 overs to follow would put that tally comfortably in the shade.Led by a belligerent Perera, and aided by some short boundaries at Nelson, Sri Lanka proceeded to plunder 133 runs off the final 10 overs – and that could have been considerably more if not for two excellent overs at the death from Mitchell and Duffy.Those two overs went for six each, but that Sri Lanka still ended up on a mammoth 218 speaks towards the damage done in the overs that preceded them – particularly devastating was a four-over period from overs 14-18 that brought 75 runs. Much of that was down to Perera, whose century came at a strike rate above 200 and included 13 fours and four sixes.While he initially targeted the boundaries behind square with a catalogue of sweeps, switch hits and outright slogs, by the end his knock was a true 360 exhibition – a monster six over cover to bring up his century emphatically ramming home the point.He was kept company by an equally combative Asalanka, who struck 46 off 24 during a 100-run fourth wicket stand that came off just 45 deliveries.

Well prepared New Zealand come out firing

Regardless of the match situation you can always count on New Zealand to come out with an effective plan, and their chase in Nelson was a prime example.Most sides would be overawed when hunting down a target of 219, but from the very first over of the chase New Zealand set the tone as Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra each took Chamidu Wickramasinghe for a boundary each.This was followed by a five-run over by Nuwan Thushara, but New Zealand made up for that by taking on Sri Lanka’s most effective seamer this series, Binura Fernando, for 18 off his opening over.Sixty-three runs were scored inside the powerplay, but the onslaught only continued afterwards. By the halfway point New Zealand had run up 108 runs and still had eight wickets in hand.Charith Asalanka struck in three consecutive overs•MARTY MELVILLE/AFP via Getty Images

Asalanka the unlikely hero

With Thushara and Binura being saved for the death overs and Theekshana having an off day, Asalanka was left with a conundrum through the middle overs. Was he going to rely on the green Wickramasinghe to handle the fifth bowler quota on his own, or would he bowl a few himself?He ended up opting for the latter, and it might just be what swung the game in Sri Lanka’s direction. In his first over the Lankan skipper removed Mark Chapman, before taking out Glenn Phillips in his second. But it was his third that brought the big fish, sliding one past Ravindra’s inside edge to dismiss the New Zealand opener for a 39-ball 69.Perhaps Asalanka overestimated his capabilities in bowling himself out, and was duly punished by Mitchell. But his breakthroughs meant New Zealand would be forced to score heavily off Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers at the death.

New Zealand can’t stick the landing

Despite Asalanka’s strikes, Mitchell’s monster striking had brought the equation down to 51 from 30 with six wickets in hand.At that point it seemed like the hard work had been all but done, but New Zealand just couldn’t stick the landing. Hasaranga’s double-wicket 16th over did much to reverse to momentum that had swung New Zealand’s way through Mitchell’s onslaught. And then when Mitchell fell an over later, looking to take on Thushara, the writing seemed on the wall.Foulkes however ensured Sri Lanka were made to work for their win with some powerful hitting at the death, but the visitors just about managed to hold on.

All you need to know about how balls land up in the ball library, and how they are selected for replacement

Sidharth Monga16-Jul-20255:19

Kumble: There can’t be so many ball changes in a Test match

A common theme during the England-India Test series has been the frequently replaced balls because the original ones are losing shape. Ever wondered where the replacement balls come from, how they are sorted and selected? Here is all you need to know.Where do the replacement balls come from?Two or three days before the Test, the host association provides used balls from first-class matches played in its venue. If it is Old Trafford, for example, Lancashire provides these balls to the fourth umpire, New South Wales for SCG, Mumbai Cricket Association for Wankhede, and so on.The fourth umpire then inspects the balls putting them through the gauge. If it goes through one and not through the other, it is considered eligible to go into the “ball library”, which is the box you see coming out when a ball is changed during a Test match. Any ball that goes through both the rings is ineligible to start playing with in the first place. So if it goes through both, it is too small to be in use. If it goes through neither, it is too big. If it goes through one and not the other, it is the right size. The number of these potential replacements depends on venues. Tests in India, England and Australia generally tend to have about 20 replacement balls, but in some countries the number can be as low as 12.Related

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If the fourth umpire sees an issue with most of the balls or doesn’t see enough eligible balls, they bring it up with the rest of the officiating team – on-field umpires, third umpire and match referee – and then they collectively ask the association to provide for more. The same process is followed for new balls. Every new ball is put through the rings before the Test.The endeavour is to have the largest possible range available from semi-new to old, but they are not batched according to age. A ball that has been used for 60 overs on a lush outfield could well be a replacement for one used in a Test on a drier outfield for just 30 overs.The umpire puts the ball through the ring•Getty Images

So are we covered for all contingencies?No, it is not possible to bring an exact like-for-like replacement. The best they can hope to do is get a replacement ball that is nearest to the original ball in wear and tear. It could be older or it could be newer.This is why the umpires are reluctant to change the ball unless it has gone completely out of shape. To maintain the integrity of the competition, the rule of the thumb is to change it only when there is no other way to continue with the existing ball. The teams of course want a ball that suits them; any change is liable to leave one of them unsatisfied.Also remember that the laws doesn’t provide for a ball change for softness. The ball is changed if there is clear damage, wetness or loss of shape. Even with the shape, nowhere do the laws mention the ball has to be round. The only shape criterion for a ball change is that if it goes through neither or both of the rings on the gauge. If it goes through one and not through the other, and if its seam is in place and the ball is dry, you have no option but to continue with it no matter how soft it feels.Are local first-class matches the only source for replacement balls?No, the match officials have to act on their feet sometimes. If they feel they are running out of replacement balls rapidly, they can ask the teams to provide used balls from their nets. They are run through the same tests before they are sent into the ball library.Another source is match balls from earlier in the series. If an innings in an earlier Test in the series has lasted 45 overs, that ball can sent into the library provided it passes the quality checks and no bowler wants to keep it as a souvenir for a five-for.Umpire Paul Reiffel looks for a replacement from the ball library•Getty Images

There have also been cases where the match balls have gone out of shape rapidly and the match referee has had to send for more from the neighbouring county or state association.Hang on, so a good swinging ball that inflicted damage earlier on in the series can come back into play later?Yes, but nobody knows which ball is which. There is no marking done on the ball, and once the balls go into the library it is near impossible to tell them apart.Can umpires change the ball without the involvement of the bowling team?Yes they can, but they do it only when they suspect ball tampering or if they ball is damaged to the extent that just tidying up with a pair of scissors is not enough.The thing with ball tampering is that since it is an accusation of cheating, it needs visual evidence. The umpires avoid making such explicit charges, but do quietly change the ball if they see something is off.Umpire-led changes of the ball are, however, rare. The ball goes to them for a check at every dismissal, during drinks break, if it has hit an LED board or been in the crowd, and during longer intervals. They don’t check it between overs or during overs.5:34

How the Dukes ball is made and why it’s going out of shape

So, the ball change on the second morning at Lord’s – when the ball was clearly out of shape but was also doing a lot for India – would not have eventuated had India not asked for it. As it turned out, the replacement ball did nothing for them and went out of shape in eight overs.Is balls losing shape an issue with a specific brand?Test cricket uses three brands of balls: SG in India, Dukes in England and the West Indies, and Kookaburra elsewhere. Balls losing shape is not limited to any particular brand.There was a time in the late 2010s when SG used to lose shape often, and the Indian players used to bring it to notice despite being sponsored by SG. Kookaburra has often being criticised for the least prominent seam of all three, but its manufacturing process has reinforced the seam in recent years. Dukes just happens to be in the eye of the storm now with frequent complaints from both sides. Even in the concurrent series in the West Indies, especially in the first Test, the players didn’t quite like the ball.However, a lot of it is also gamesmanship. You usually see complaints only when the wickets are not falling. On the last day of Lord’s, when it was in England’s interest to bowl with a softer ball to deny Ravindra Jadeja striking opportunities, the shape of the ball was never brought into question. Often, bowling sides just take a punt when nothing is happening for them in the hope that the library doesn’t have a ball that will be any worse than the one than they have in hand.Dukes has an advantage over the others when it comes to being replaced. The ball has a stamp, the equivalent of a batch number, to identify the year of manufacture. So it is not possible to be playing in 2025 with a Dukes ball that was, say, last used in 2023 or was part of another production batch. SG and Kookaburra don’t have such identification markers.

Seven home matches been shelved, but not for political reasons, according to CEO Warren Deutrom

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2025Ireland have shelved plans to host a multi-format series against Afghanistan this year for “financial reasons” in a busy summer schedule which includes historic tours by England Men’s T20I side and Zimbabwe Women.Cricket Ireland released their international fixtures on Tuesday, including Women’s 50-over World Cup Qualifying matches against Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand and Scotland between April 9-18.It also listed warm-up games for Ireland Women against West Indies and Bangladesh in Pakistan on April 5 and 7 respectively, ahead of their bid to reach the tournament for the first time since 2005, although the ICC is yet to confirm dates and venues for the Qualifiers.Ireland Men will host West Indies in ODI and T20I series in May and June respectively, while England Men will play their first T20I series in Ireland in September, comprising three matches.According to the Men’s Future Tours Program (FTP), Ireland were due to play a Test against Afghanistan as well as three ODIs and three T20Is. However, all seven matches have been cancelled and, though this follows the example of Australia and England in not playing bilateral series against Afghanistan, Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland chief executive, insisted it was for financial not political reasons. Earlier this week, it was revealed that Human Rights Watch had called for Afghanistan’s ICC membership to be suspended for human rights abuses.”One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan,” Deutrom said. “This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives.”Ireland have only hosted two of the ten Tests they have played since becoming Full Members of the ICC in 2017. They secured their maiden win in the format against Afghanistan in the UAE in 2024 then won two more Tests against Zimbabwe, at home last year and away last month.Related

• As Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom departs, he leaves behind a complicated legacy

• Ireland government approves permanent cricket stadium in Dublin

Ireland staged a “home” white-ball series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi last year in a bid to overcome what Deutrom described at the time as “current infrastructure constraints” given the lack of a permanent home stadium and the high cost of temporary infrastructure.Last August, the Irish Government approved the development of apermanent international cricket stadium and high performance centre in Dublin. The first phase, including a main cricket oval, permanent seating for 4,000 people and the high performance centre is due for completion in 2028 with a view to preparing Ireland to co-host the 2030 T20 World Cup alongside England and Scotland.”Off the field, recent Programme for Government announcements will enable us to continue our planning for the new Dublin stadium and for the 2030 T20 World Cup, while we’re looking forward to announcing infrastructure and facilities investments across Ireland as part of our expanded Club Fund,” Deutrom said.However, the ACB CEO Naseeb Khan said in a release that Cricket Ireland has expressed interest in hosting them in 2026. “Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom spoke to me on March 8 and explained that, due to financial reasons, they are unable to host us this year,” Khan said. “However, they have expressed interest in hosting us in 2026. While we acknowledge their reasons, this would have been a valuable opportunity for players from both countries. We are in discussions with Cricket Ireland to explore suitable options for rescheduling the series and will work collaboratively to find a mutually convenient window.”Ireland Wolves will play Afghanistan A in four-day and one-day matches in Abu Dhabi next month as part of a tour which includes a white-ball tri-series also involving Sri Lanka A.Ireland Men will also play in the European T20 Premier League with Scotland and the Netherlands from mid-July.Zimbabwe Women will visit Ireland in July, their first tour since being added to the Women’s FTP for 2025-29. They will play three T20Is followed by two ODIs.Pakistan Women will then travel to Ireland in August for three T20s ahead of the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in the Netherlands, where Ireland Women are competing.

“How we approached the seven games has been quite clinical – everybody put in the effort”

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-20231:13

Hayden: ‘Iyer finding his feet is a big step for India’

Twenty-five days after starting their campaign, India have become the first team to qualify for the ODI World Cup semi-finals after a mammoth 302-run win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Thursday.”I’m very happy knowing we have officially qualified for the semi-finals, it’s been a good effort from the entire squad,” India captain Rohit Sharma said after India notched up their seventh win in seven games. “When we started off in Chennai, this was the first goal for us, to qualify first and then obviously, the semis and the final.”But all in all, I thought how we approached the seven games has been quite clinical. Everybody put in the effort. We wanted individuals to stand up and a lot of individuals towards these seven games put their hands up and stood up.”Related

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Rohit said that players hitting top gear augurs well for the team at the business end of the tournament. He was particularly impressed with the likes of Shreyas Iyer, who had a few low scores coming in to the game and hit a quick 82 to lift the team to 357, and Mohammed Siraj, who rattled Sri Lanka with three wickets up front. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah played their parts to ensure Sri Lanka were bowled out for 55 in under 20 overs.”Shreyas, as far as I know him, is a very strong lad, strong in his mind, and today, as you saw… he did what he is known for. And that’s what we expect from him; to take on the opposition and the bowlers,” Rohit said. “The couple of sixes he hit in his innings showed that he is there to take on that challenge in front of him. He’s been working very hard on his game and today we saw what he’s capable of.”As for Siraj, he’s a quality bowler and if he does that, it’s quite a big difference for us with the new ball. He can swing the ball, get the ball to get back in, he’s got a lot of skills when he is operating with the new ball.”

East Zone completed an innings win over North Zone in the final round of matches to win the trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2023Khaled Ahmed was the standout performer for East Zone, as he completed an 11-wicket match haul to take East to victory in Sylhet. The 11 wickets made it a chart-topping 18 wickets for Khaled in just two games in the BCL, well ahead of second-placed Abu Hider of Central Zone, who returned 12 wickets in three games.After East won the toss and opted to field, Rejaur Rahman Raja and Khaled returned identical figures of 4 for 40 in the first North innings to bowl them out for 108, with Abdullah Al Mamun’s 26 the best individual effort for North. East’s reply was led by Mominul Haque, who scored 117 in just under four hours, and Parvez Hossain Emon, whose 90 came in 200 balls in over four hours of batting. Shahadat Hossain also chipped in with a quick 56.Behind by 244 runs, North needed a stronger batting display, but after a steady start from Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Sabbir Hossain, which took them to 43 by the eighth over, it started to go downhill. Abu Jayed picked up the first wicket, of Joy, and it was over to Khaled after that to run through the batting with returns of 7 for 50. Rejaur took his match tally to six with the wickets of Pritom Kumar and North captain Akbar Ali.East, who had earlier beaten Central by seven wickets after drawing their opener against South Zone, finished on 20 points, double that of second-placed Central.A dramatic batting collapse in their second innings cost South a chance to make a match of it against Central, who needed to chase just 16 runs in the fourth innings after South only managed 49, having conceded a 34-run first-innings lead.Asked to bat, South put up 214, with good hands from Moin Khan (75) and Fazle Mahmud (46), as Shohidul Islam, Hider and Shuvagata Hom all got among the wickets.Central’s batting effort wasn’t much better, but good enough to get them a lead, as they scored 248. Naeem Islam led the way with a 181-ball 89, while Mahidul Islam Ankon scored 66.But there was almost no resistance from South in their second innings. Opener Prantik Nawrose Nabil batted ten balls before going off, and the procession was on. Hider picked up four, Shohidul three, and Salauddin Sakil two. Mohammad Naim then proceeded to knock off the required runs in just one over.