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Stubbs, a talented middle-order batter, will join for a price of INR 20 lakh

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-2022Mumbai Indians have signed South African Tristan Stubbs as a replacement for Tymal Mills, who has sustained an ankle injury and has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2022.Mills played five matches for Mumbai this season, picking up six wickets at an economy of 11.17. He last played on April 16 against Lucknow Super Giants, where he conceded 54 runs from three wicketless overs. But it’s understood the injury is a minor one, and he is expected to be fit for Sussex’s first T20 Blast game on May 26.Stubbs, 21, is a talented middle-order batter and will join Mumbai for a price of INR 20 lakh (approx USD 26,000). He has had a promising domestic season, scoring 293 runs at an average of 48.83 and a strike rate of 183.12 for Warriors in the recently concluded CSA Challenge.In all, he has scored 506 runs and three half-centuries from 17 T20s, at a strike rate of 157.14. He has also featured in eight first-class and 11 List A games.He was part of the South Africa A squad for their ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.

Sri Lanka never recovered from Renuka’s early blows and couldn’t take a single wicket in India’s dominating chase

Ashish Pant04-Jul-2022A career-best four-wicket burst from Renuka Singh followed by clinical half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma helped India dominate the second ODI for a 10-wicket win and gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Chasing 174, India made sure they learnt their lessons from their first outing when they scrapped home to a four-wicket victory chasing 172. Mandhana and Shafali looked much assured with their strokes as the duo piled on an unbeaten 174-run stand to see India through with 24.2 overs to spare. While Mandhana finished on 94 not out off 83 balls, Shafali remained unbeaten on career-best and run-a-ball 71.India’s chase was also the highest target successfully chased by a team without losing a wicket in women’s ODIs.It had rained heavily in Palleleke on the eve of the game but the weather cleared for an on-time start. Expecting the surface to offer something for the quick bowlers early, Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to bowl was vindicated with Renuka finding her lengths from the get-go. She rattled the Sri Lanka top order with three quick strikes and eventually finished with a career-best 4 for 28, improving on her three-wicket haul from the opening ODI.She started by breaching Hasini Perera’s defences off just the fourth ball of the innings, to remove her for a duck. The fast bowler then sent back 16-year-old debutant Vishmi Gunaratne, who took 14 balls for her three runs, before trapping Harshitha Samarawickrama lbw for a three-ball duck as Sri Lanka were reduced to 11 for 3 inside seven overs.Chamari Athapaththu, who for a change came in at No. 3, then provided some solidity to the innings. She had a slice of luck when on 3 she edged a full delivery to slip. There was a bit of confusion about whether or not it was a bump ball, and eventually, the third umpire upheld the on-field umpire’s soft signal of not out.Renuka Singh picked up three early wickets to put Sri Lanka on the back foot•Sri Lanka Cricket

Athapaththu soon opened up her shoulders, thrashing Pooja Vastrakar along the ground through the covers and then lofting Renuka over the same region. However, her luck soon ran out when she flicked a harmless Meghna Singh half-volley on the pads straight to Shafali at deep fine leg for 27.Vastrakar and Co adopted the short-ball policy and had the batters ducking and swaying for cover. Anushka Sanjeewani and Nilakshi de Silva held fort for a bit before Sanjeewani squeezed out a full-length delivery from Deepti Sharma to the on side and went about wandering carelessly. Wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia was quick to spot the opportunity and sprung across to flick the ball back onto the stumps, catching the batter short with the bat in the air.Another needless run out sent back Kavisha Dilhari as Sri Lanka slipped to 81 for 6 in the 25th over. Ama Kanchana and de Silva did stage some sort of a comeback adding 42 runs for the seventh wicket but they still found run-scoring tough. Deepti’s two wickets off the last two balls of the innings made sure the hosts were bowled out.Kanchana finished as Sri Lanka’s top-scorer with an unbeaten 47 off 83 balls while de Silva scored 32 off 62. In all, Sri Lanka hit just 11 fours and faced 191 dot balls. Two run outs too, did not help their cause.India, in stark contrast, faced just 55 dot balls and hit 15 fours and two sixes. Both Mandhana and Shafali were watchful initially but made sure they rotated the strike while collecting the odd boundaries. Mandhana got going with a couple of fours off Inoka Ranaweera before Shafali too got into the act by thumping Achini Kulasuriya over her head.The duo reached the 50-run mark in the ninth over and thereon collected a boundary nearly every over. In between, Sri Lanka gave two lives each to both openers. Shafali was dropped on 39 when she chipped a simple chance to long-on, and then again on 55 at deep midwicket. Mandhana was given a chance soon after she raised her 23rd ODI fifty by Ranaweera off her own bowling and then again on 77.Once both batters reached their fifties, they took the Sri Lanka attack to the cleaners. Mandhana even had a shot at completing her century when she smashed a six to go to 94 with India needing three to win. But a wide down the leg side from Kanchana spoiled her hopes of reaching the landmark. It was Shafali who sealed the win with a single to cover.Renuka was named the Player of the Match. The win also saw India move up on the Women’s Championship points table to second place with four points, behind South Africa, while Sri Lanka are on fourth position with just two points from five games.

A lower-back stress reaction has ruled the South Africa fast bowler out of the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Apr-2018South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada faces up to three months on the sidelines because of a lower-back stress reaction. He will not be able to play IPL 2018, as a result, for Delhi Daredevils who had bought him for INR 4.2 crores (USD 646,000) at the player auction in January.Rabada had complained of tightness and discomfort during the fourth and final Test in Johannesburg, and bowled only eight overs in Australia’s second innings. A subsequent scan revealed the injury, according to South Africa’s team manager Mohammad Moosajee. Rabada was adjudged Play of the Series for taking 23 wickets in four Tests.”Kagiso has been diagnosed with a lower-back stress reaction which will rule him out of cricket action for up to three months,” Moosajee said. “He will need a month’s break from all physical activity before commencing with a rehabilitation programme to get him ready for the series against Sri Lanka in July.”South Africa’s next international engagement is a tour of Sri Lanka in July to play two Tests, five ODIs and a T20I.

Paul Collingwood gives his players “ten out of ten” for effort after hard-fought draw in Antigua

Alan Gardner13-Mar-2022England hope to have Ollie Robinson available for the second Test against West Indies and will not be calling up extra bowling cover, despite interim head coach Paul Collingwood admitting that Mark Wood was “unlikely” to play in Barbados after suffering an elbow impingement that limited his involvement to delivering 17 overs in the drawn Antigua Test.Wood was set to go for scans on the injury after feeling “acute pain” while attempting to bowl in the nets before play on day five at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, but England have not yet ruled him out of further involvement on the tour.The return of Robinson after a back spasm during the warm-up game would strengthen a seam attack that only managed to take seven wickets in Antigua – three of them by Ben Stokes, the allrounder who was reportedly set to have a managed workload but ended up bowling 41 overs in the match. The absence of Wood will, however, leave England without an out-and-out quick, although the uncapped Saqib Mahmood is capable of touching 90mph.Related

• Bonner, Holder dig for draw as Windies resist bold declaration

• Wood elbow injury rules him out of action in Antigua

• Leach the major positive as England find lessons in adversity

• Simmons hopes for rise in home support after first Test

“[Wood] has not bowled in the second innings here so you would say it is unlikely but you never know,” Collingwood told reporters in Antigua. “He recovered really well when he got some tape on there and some anti-inflams but we are going to have to see what the investigation say.”Ollie is looking pretty positive at the moment. His recovery has been excellent. The backroom staff have done a great job on Ollie and he bowled a couple of spells today and is getting the ball through really well so that is looking really positive. We have Saqqy Mahmood as well and [Matthew] Fisher here, so not [looking for back-up] as yet. We will have to wait and see how Woody is in Barbados.”Collingwood graded the efforts of his players as “ten out of ten on a pitch that was pretty docile and hard to get 20 wickets on”, after West Indies batted their way to safety on the final afternoon following an attacking declaration from Joe Root. England set the home side a target of 286 in 71 overs and gave themselves a shot at an unlikely win by reducing them to 67 for 4 shortly after tea. But Nkrumah Bonner, West Indies’ first-innings centurion, and Jason Holder batted out 35.4 overs in partnership to secure a draw and keep the series level with two to play.”The boys are in a good place,” Collingwood said. “They want to win Test matches. We knew it was not going to be easy to take 20 wickets on there. We had to give ourselves time. The way we batted this morning, there were a lot of selfless dismissals out there, done for the team. We were trying to score runs quickly.”We put ourselves in a good position. We lost a bit of time with overs to the rain which did not help. Bonner’s innings took a lot of time out of the game and I thought we were very proactive this morning to get ourselves in a position where we could give ourselves a chance. We were probably two wickets away from breaking the back of West Indies’ batting. We were very close. Some decisions could have gone either way but overall performance I thought it was a positive week.”And despite the struggles of England’s seamers, with Wood invalided out of contention and new attack leader Chris Woakes managing figures of 1 for 110, Antigua did provide the stage for an impressive showing from Jack Leach. It emerged that the left-arm spinner had given the team talk at one stage, as part of efforts to get the players to take more responsibility, and he ended up being England’s most-successful bowler, taking 5 for 136 in the match but crucially also keeping things tight during the first innings, when he bowled 43.3 overs with an economy of 1.81.”I was really impressed with the way he held the game on a wicket that didn’t turn off the straight,” Collingwood said. “I’m delighted that he’s been able to do a holding role for us, that’s good signs for the future. Giving them that extra responsibility as a voice and a leader in the dressing-room, he seems to be thriving off that. They’re great signs. His accuracy right through the Test was brilliant and he caused problems. That’s a great Test match for him.”With Root adding his 24th Test century – and a record 13th as England captain – Collingwood said there were encouraging signs around the team’s so-called red-ball reset, despite a nightmare first morning in Antigua where a scoreline of 48 for 4 bore all the hallmarks of recent failures. “I really believe he can turn this team around,” he said of Root, who was retained in the role as much because of a lack of alternatives following another chastening Ashes campaign. The next step will involve maintaining an upwards trajectory.”We’ve had a good week,” Collingwood said. “We’ve got to build on that. There have been so many good signs but we want to keep that as the benchmark. Our ground-fielding was superb, our energy, our fitness levels, that’s a good sign of where a team is. Two hard days in the field, the boys kept plugging away. Great signs but it’s 0-0 and we need to turn up in Barbados with the same attitude and character, and desire – all the things that win you Test matches. That performance level, we’ve given ourselves a good chance.”

The decision is believed to have been taken after #MeToo allegations against the BCCI’s CEO

Sharda Ugra14-Oct-2018BCCI secretary Amitabh Chaudhary is expected to represent the board at the ICC’s chief executives’ meeting to be held in Singapore this week, a task that would normally have fallen to its CEO Rahul Johri. The decision follows #MeToo allegations, made public on Friday, around Johri’s conduct with a fellow professional in his previous job.The BCCI’s first response to the anonymous allegations of Johri’s alleged conduct against a woman ex-colleague in the television industry, before he joined the BCCI, had been to seek an “explanation” from Johri within a week. There was no word on whether the allegations would affect Johri’s daily operations inside the BCCI or indeed his presence as the Indian board’s representative at the Singapore meeting on October 17 and 18. It is believed that protests from within the board, the two-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), as well as reservations expressed at the highest level of the ICC went ahead to ensure that Johri would not be be a part of the CEOs meeting in Singapore. The possibility of Johri turning up at the meeting in Singapore had made the situation “very uncomfortable”, according to a cricket official.The allegations against Johri, made anonymously through Twitter, are part of a vitally transformed global environment around issues of sexual harassment, abuse and crimes against women. The BCCI’s own internal complaints committee against workplace harassment has only been in place since April 2018. The committee is headed by BCCI lawyer Karina Kripalani, GM Operations Saba Karim, Rupawati Rao, who works in BCCI accounts, and external member Mumbai-based women’s rights lawyer Veena Gowda.This is the third time within 18 months that the BCCI, and through them the CoA, have been faced with complaints, accusations and allegations of sexual harassment around its senior executives. Johri’s name has featured in them, but it is not yet certain if two complaints were indeed the same one, only with more details. Given the nature of the allegations against the CEO of the most high-profile and richest sporting body in India and the richest board in world cricket, the complaints committee could be dealing with their biggest and most scrutinised case yet.

The pair has played a key role in Tamil Nadu’s emergence as a white-ball force

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2022The Tamil Nadu duo of Shahrukh Khan and R Sai Kishore have been drafted into India’s squad as stand-bys for the three T20Is in Kolkata between February 16-20. Both players will therefore be unavailable for the early parts of the Ranji Trophy that the BCCI is set to announce soon.Over the past three seasons, both players have played key roles in Tamil Nadu’s emergence as a white-ball force. Shahrukh has been the side’s designated finisher, while Sai Kishore has been the side’s go-to bowler in the Powerplays and death overs with his left-arm spin.Related

• West Bengal government allows 75% attendance for India-West Indies T20Is

• No changes in West Indies T20I squad to face India from England series

• Fit-again Rohit to lead India for WI series; Kuldeep back for ODIs

Both players played a significant part in Tamil Nadu defending their T20 crown last November when they beat Karnataka in a thriller. Sai Kishore set the game up with his three-wicket haul – including two big strikes in the Powerplay – to restrict a powerful line-up.Then with the trophy on the line, both players combined to deliver the finishing touches with the bat. Shahrukh hit an unbeaten 15-ball 33, including a last-ball six over deep square leg, to bring home the title.Sai Kishore finished the T20 tournament with 10 wickets in eight games at an economy of 6.06. This came on the back of two path-breaking seasons prior to that. In the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, his economy of 4.63 was the best among bowlers who delivered at least 20 overs, while in 2020-21, he had an economy of 4.82, the second-best with the same cut-off.These strong performances earned him a place in India’s T20 squad as a reserve in a second-string national squad that toured Sri Lanka last July.Both players are expected to be among prominent uncapped signings at the IPL auction on February 12-13.Shahrukh, signed by Punjab Kings for INR 5.25 crore ahead of IPL 2021, was released after just one season. Sai Kishore is yet to make his IPL debut although he has been part of the Chennai Super Kings set-up since 2019.

Ben Stokes’ England comeback is set to be delayed further after he was reportedly given a date of February 13 to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2018No sooner had he been made available again, than Ben Stokes’ England comeback is set to be delayed further after he was given a date of February 13 to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of affray. That coincides with the first of England’s T20 fixtures in New Zealand, when Stokes was potentially in line to return.Stokes was cleared for selection by England on Wednesday, following an ECB board meeting. He had greeted the news by tweeting: “I’m extremely delighted to be given this opportunity to do this again. I can’t wait to get back out on a pitch with the three Lions on my chest.”Having already been named as part of England’s squad for the T20 tri-series, which also involves Australia, he was set to join up with the tour party when they move to New Zealand. However, Avon and Somerset police have now confirmed the date of his court appearance.Affray, depending on the circumstances, can be prosecuted at either Magistrates Court or Crown Court. At a Crown Court, the maximum sentence is three years imprisonment, but if tried in a Magistrates Court it is only six months.It is possible that if Stokes lodges a “not guilty plea” this could be done in his absence by his legal representatives. He has already tweeted: “I am keen to have an opportunity to clear my name but on advice the appropriate time to do this is when the case comes to trial.”Trevor Bayliss, the head coach, had hinted earlier on Thursday that England would like Stokes to gain some match practice before his comeback, potentially in New Zealand, where he turned out for Canterbury before Christmas, while unavailable for England. That is now likely to be complicated by his need to return to the UK.”Hopefully we can get him some cricket somewhere as part of his practice going into the New Zealand leg. That’ll be up to him,” Bayliss told the BBC, ahead of the second ODI against Australia in Brisbane.”It’s all about performance. We want him to be up and running and ready to go. I think there’s a few legal things to get through in the next week or so, 10 days, but then it’s about being prepared to play. We can’t get him to come in and perform in an international match straight away, so it’s about getting him ready.”The announcement that Stokes was free to return while awaiting trial provided the latest entry in a saga that has overshadowed England’s winter. After being arrested in September, Stokes missed the entirety of the Ashes with the police investigation ongoing, despite being named in the squad; he was also included in the ODI squad to play Australia, before being replaced.Bayliss said that while the situation was “certainly something we’d rather not have had to deal with”, Stokes would be welcomed back into the England set-up.”I’m happy he’s been made available, the players and coaches are looking forward to seeing him,” Bayliss said. “He’s a very popular member of the team and the squad. I’m sure they’ll welcome him back with open arms.”We’re fully aware of why he wasn’t available, that’s fair enough… it’s just the way it was. We knew he wasn’t going to be available. We set about competing in that Ashes series knowing we didn’t have him. That’s resigned to history now and we’re looking forward.”It was certainly something we’d much rather not have had to deal with but all credit to the players, once the games came around they were fully focused on playing.”

With India possessing in-form openers, a healthy mix of allrounders and an injury-free squad, Australia have more questions to answer ahead of the big final

The Preview by Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui02-Feb-20182:50

India’s history at the U-19 World Cup final

Big Picture

You don’t need a New Zealand visa if you’re an Australian. There are also separate immigration queues at the airports for Australian passport holders. Both countries have a union jack on their flags.You don’t need a local sim card, because Australian telecom providers offer flexible pay-per-use deals owing to proximity. The hiking trails, sporting culture and the weather patterns mean Australia are at a home away from home.Yet, when they take on India in the Under-19 World Cup final in Mount Manganui, they will feel like an away team playing in Mohali. Tauranga’s Punjabi community of 4000 people, the biggest in New Zealand, will have their and drums ready to add colour to a festive Saturday afternoon. The ground can hold 8000 people, and the organisers are hoping to have the venue more than half-full.Outside Australia’s travelling group of parents, there is unlikely to be too much fan support for the 11 players, who will look to challenge untested India in their bid for their first Under-19 World Cup since Mitchell Marsh led them to the title in 2010. Prior to that, they had won in 1988 and 2002. India, too, are three-time winners, and last won in 2012 under Unmukt Chand. Two years ago in Bangladesh, they lost to West Indies in the final after dominating the group stages.The similarities between the two, however, go beyond just the number of titles won. Both have a star-studded support cast: Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris for Australia; Rahul Dravid for India. Both captains – Jason Sangha and Prithvi Shaw – have set age-related first-class records. It is when you dig into team specifics that the similarities become hard to find.India’s openers are in form; Australia are sweating over the poor form of one of their gun openers – Max Bryant. India have two allrounders in Anukul Roy and Kamlesh Nagarkoti, as opposed to Australia, who just have Will Sutherland. Barring Ishan Porel, India haven’t had too many injury concerns, while Australia have been forced to mix and match. Jason Ralston was ruled out, and now Aaron Hardie, his replacement, has also joined him on the sidelines with a groin injury. In their absence, Zak Evans and Ryan Hadley will form their new-ball attack.This is a clash between a highly skilled side that has prepared in every condition possible, against a side that has the best sporting system and has produced match-winners by truckloads. That Australia are here is because Lloyd Pope gatecrashed an England party that was ready to take off. They would have to play out of their skins to repeat that against India on Saturday.

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWLPrithvi Shaw and Jason Sangha pose with the trophy•IDI via Getty Images

In the spotlight

Rahul Dravid generally doesn’t talk up individuals, at least not during a tournament such as the World Cup, which is why it was surprising to see him effusively praise 16-year old Riyan Parag, the top-order batsman who bowls handy offspin. “He was in phenomenal form, hitting it so beautifully in the build-up,” Dravid said. “It’s just unfortunate he got injured and then has taken a while to come into his batting groove. He’ll come good.”Parag didn’t start the tournament because of a finger injury, and made the XI only for the final group game against Zimbabwe. Since returning, he has had two low scores but has consistently chipped in with the ball. The final may not be a bad time to repay the coach’s faith with the bat.Jack Edwards has been talked up as one of the best players of spin in this Australian set-up. He’ll potentially be up against four spinners in the final. He made 73 in the opening game against India, and then trailed off until he hit a crucial, counter-attacking 72 in the semi-final against Afghanistan. Can he continue to surge in the final?

Team news

India are unlikely to tinker with their XI, despite the middle order not having played to full potential yet. Parag is yet to come into his own, while Harvik Desai has just one half-century from a low-pressure chase against Zimbabwe. Barring any last-minute injuries, all players pick themselves.India (likely): 1 Prithvi Shaw (capt), 2 Manjot Kalra, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Harvik Desai, 5 Riyan Parag, 6 Abhishek Sharma, 7 Anukul Roy, 8 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 9 Shivam Mavi, 10 Ishan Porel, 11 Shiva SinghNathan McSweeney’s only impactful knock – 156 against Papua New Guinea – came as an opener. With Max Bryant having scored just 93 runs in five innings, there’s perhaps a case for Australia to make a swap.Australia (likely): 1 Jack Edwards, 2 Max Bryant, 3 Jason Sangha (capt), 4 Param Uppal, 5 Nathan McSweeney, 6 Jonathan Merlo, 7 Will Sutherland, 8 Baxter Holt, 9 Zak Evans, 10 Ryan Hadley, 11 Lloyd Pope

Pitch and conditions

It has been stormy in Mount Manganui. For two successive days, the pitch was under covers. Bright sunshine on match-eve has allowed the curators to add final touches to their preparation. In its short history, The Bay Oval has hosted a number of high-scoring matches. Since it does not have Test status yet, pitches have generally been tailored for short-form cricket. India made 328 when these two sides played in their opening game three weeks ago. Expect Saturday to be no different.

Stats and trivia

• Australia do not have a single batsman among the top-10 scorers in the tournament.
• Shubman Gill is India’s only centurion in the tournament. He will go into the final on the back of a record six successive 50-plus scores in Youth ODIs.
• Lloyd Pope’s 8 for 35 shaded Jason Ralston’s 7 for 15 as the best figures in the tournament’s history. Ralston’s record lasted all of four days.

Quotes

“Our fast bowlers have been doing well right from the first match. They have provided breakthroughs whenever the team has needed one. They are ready whenever I ask them to bowl. All of them – Kamlesh (Nagarkoti), (Shivam) Mavi and (Ishan) Porel have shown good intensity and fitness. It helps us all have a good attitude in the field. We’re all really pumped up when our fast bowlers do well.”
“Their fast bowlers don’t bother us one bit. Sure, they have all done well, but we know we are capable of playing anyone. This is a final and the pressure will be equally on them as it will be on us.”

Pakistan spinner will join club on pay-as-you-play deal from April

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Dec-2021Zafar Gohar, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, will return to Gloucestershire for the 2022 season, as the club prepare for their first Division One campaign since 2005.Gohar collected 20 wickets at a cost of 14.35 in four Championship games earlier this year – including a match haul of 11 for 101 against Durham – as Gloucestershire finished second in Division Two.He will be available on a pay-as-you-play basis from next April, before moving on to a full contract for August and September, with Will Brown, Gloucestershire’s chief executive, suggesting the club were “on the cusp of something really special” after bringing in Gohar alongside Australia opener Marcus Harris to fill their overseas spots.”The signing of Zafar is another great moment for the club,” Brown said. “We feel like we’re on the cusp of something really special with the squad we’re assembling and we’re confident of being able to challenge for silverware in 2022.”Zafar was a big hit with supporters at the back end of last season and we’re confident that he’ll be able to make important contributions for The Shire once again next season across all formats, including the County Championship, where we’ll be playing against the best cricketers in the country in Division One.”Related

• County ins and outs 2021-22

• Gohar five-for puts Gloucestershire into ascendancy

• Gohar in eleventh heaven as he spins Gloucs to two-day win

Gohar, who has played one Test and one ODI for Pakistan, is Gloucestershire’s first signing since confirmation of Dale Benkenstein’s appointment as head coach earlier in the week.”Playing county cricket this year and making my debut for Gloucestershire was the realisation of an ambition I’ve had for some time,” Gohar said. “Getting the opportunity to pull on a Gloucestershire shirt and contribute to a winning team was a great start to my career in England, and I’m very pleased to be returning for a longer stint next year.”We have a team capable of challenging anyone, and some great momentum from 2021 to build on. I can’t wait to get back and hopefully pick up where I left off.”Steve Snell, performance director at Gloucestershire Cricket, added: “We’re thrilled to have Zafar back onboard for next season, he’s already proven just how much quality he has and we’re really excited to see him in action again next year.”It’s a real bonus that Zafar is available for selection right from day one, he provides the squad with depth and makes selection even more difficult for our new head coach Dale Benkenstein, which is a positive problem to have.”

Defending champions England will begin their campaign against Australia on March 5, while India meet Pakistan the following day

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2021Hosts New Zealand will face West Indies in the opening match of the Women’s ODI World Cup in Tauranga on March 4. Six-time winners Australia will meet defending champions England at Seddon Park in Hamilton the following day, while India, last edition’s runners-up, will face Pakistan in another marquee fixture in Tauranga on March 6.ICC confirmed that the 31 games will be played across 31 days, with the eight teams competing for the trophy. Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Wellington will be the six cities that will host the tournament. Christchurch will host the final on April 3.Related

• Women's ODI World Cup matches could go ahead with nine players if Covid hits

• No change in Women's ODI World Cup schedule despite Omicron threat

• WI women 'relieved' to fly home after 11-day Oman quarantine

• Raj: We have had 'good preparation' for 2022 WC

• Women's World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe called off following concerns over new Covid-19 variant

Like the previous edition, the tournament will be played in the league format, where each team will meet the other teams once. The top four sides will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be played at Wellington and Christchurch on March 30 and 31 respectively. Both the semi-finals and the final will have a reserve day in place.Australia, England, South Africa and India qualified for the global event on the basis of their position in ICC Women’s Championship 2017-20 while New Zealand automatically qualified as hosts. After the World Cup qualifying event in Zimbabwe was called off due to the Covid-19 threat last month, Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakistan secured their places on the basis of their team ranking.This will be the first big women’s global event since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The last global women’s event played was the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2020, which the hosts won by beating India in the final.As a part of their preparation, India are scheduled to play five ODIs against hosts New Zealand before the World Cup.