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Daniel Bell-Drummond made a century and Tom Alsop 96 during a 200-run stand that took England Lions to victory in the fourth match against Sri Lanka A

David Hopps in Colombo09-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Daniel Bell-Drummond made his second Lions List A century•Getty Images

“Carbs’ boys,” they called themselves with the broadest of smiles, and for Michael Carberry, back in training with Hampshire after treatment for cancer, their matchwinning combination will be an uplifting moment. Throughout his personal fight against illness, his support for the up-and-coming generation has never wavered. More than 5000 miles away, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tom Alsop assembled a partnership to give him cause for celebration.Alsop is a Hampshire team-mate of Carberry’s; Bell-Drummond received coaching and encouragement in London schools cricket and still turns occasionally to him for advice. A double-century stand and, finally, a Lions one-day victory at the end of it, meant that Carbs’ boys were riding high. Their partnership of exactly 200 was a new third-wicket record for the Lions in all their guises over the past 25 years and more. James Taylor held it, with Ravi Bopara, which is a reminder to Alsop and Bell-Drummond to treasure every moment.But something divided them. It was as if Donald Trump had suddenly glanced at the scoreboard as they entered the nineties and decided to build a wall. Bell-Drummond had a century to his name at the end of it all, Alsop fell just short. Sometimes the smallest margins can bring a cruel separation.The Lions were 12 for 2 in search of 244 when Bell-Drummond and Alsop joined forces. “Wobbly,” Alsop agreed, considering the one-day tour they had endured. For the next 35 overs, they methodically charted a course to victory. Alsop’s first run fell uncomfortably close to square leg and Bell-Drummond had to stave off a delivery early in his innings that came through unnaturally low, but from that point their association possessed admirable tranquillity. Neither gave a chance.They fell within seven balls of each other, but it is their respective runs tally they will most remember; Alsop fell four runs short of what would have been his second List A century when he was stumped off the offspinner Charith Asalanka. Bell-Drummond, on 99 when Alsop departed, did negotiate the single he needed for what was his second List A hundred – both for the Lions – before he was bowled by Chaturanga de Silva. Joe Clarke then failed before a five-wicket win was secured in fading light with 16 balls to spare.Alsop was a bit of a punt on this tour, a 21-year-old with one strong 50-over season behind him. Things have only come good in the closing days of the tour, a satisfying finale for the England selectors who determinedly push youth at A-team level, especially now when their 50-over batting at senior level is so strong. “It is my first time on a subcontinent wicket and it has been a hard learning curve,” Alsop said. “It was disappointing not to get a hundred but after the tour I’ve had I’ll take that.””I wasn’t that surprised when he got picked for this tour,” Bell-Drummond said, with impressive grace. “The talent is there to see. I am glad he transferred it to the middle today and showed what a good player he can become in the future.”Sri Lanka had made sweeping changes after taking the five-match series with three victories in the cultural triangle, but they still fielded seven players with international experience.With Sri Lanka engaged in a Test down in Galle against Bangladesh, the Lions would readily concede that their victory against Sri Lanka A was not the biggest cricketing story on the island.In fact, it was not even the biggest story in town. Down the road from Colombo Cricket Club, at the Sinhalese Sports Club, old boys of Royal and St Thomas Colleges were engaging in an annual ritual – the 138th Battle of the Blues, a three-day school game that can be expected to attract 10,000 spectators by the final day on Saturday. History suggests that old memories will be retold to the backdrop of young cricketers desperate to avoid the embarrassment of defeat.No matter. The Lions were desperate for consolation on one of Colombo’s most historic grounds – as old as Yorkshire, having marked its 150th anniversary in 2014 – with large portraits of Harold Larwood and Don Bradman on the walls and ancient ceiling fans whirring above timeworn wooden floors in the Members’ Pavilion. It is a wonderful spot.The portrait of Larwood in delivery stride marks his appearance on the ground three years before the infamous Bodyline tour. As the picture fades, with every passing year, Larwood’s whites seem dirtier than ever, even his forearms now look thick with grime. It somehow seems entirely appropriate, whereas to discover Bradman’s whites are no longer pristine might almost seem heretical.There were those, however, who only had eyes for the Lions. Two Northants supporters from Kettering had journeyed up from the beach resort of Bentota to see Graeme White, at 29, make a Lions debut and receive his cap from Mick Newell, the England selector, who as Notts director of cricket had seen him make an amicable departure to his first county, Northants, in 2015 in search of regular Championship cricket.White had a satisfying day, following a slightly nervous first spell with something more considered upon switching to the pavilion end, his 3 for 53 including Asalanka, caught in the deep, Angelo Perera, who pulled a short ball to mid-on, and Sri Lanka A’s new captain, Ashan Priyanjan, who was neatly stumped by Ben Foakes after White turned one past the outside edge.For the first half of Sri Lanka A’s innings, the series continued in familiar vein, with the home side firmly in control at 172 for 2 in the 30th over with heady visions of 320-plus. They made only 242. Liam Livingstone produced a steady-as-she-goes spell of offspin when the assault was at its height, bowling both openers, Danushka Gunathilaka and Ron Chandraguptha. This time, there was no switch to legspin when faced by the right-handers, just a certainty under pressure which once again spoke of a cricketer of strong character.White’s intervention turned the game. Toby Roland-Jones, a late replacement on tour, picked up three wickets in a borrowed shirt emblazoned with the name of his Middlesex team-mate Tom Helm. There was a first wicket of the series, too, for Sam Curran, Ramith Rambukwella’s stumps demolished with a full-length ball, a meaningful celebration bringing consolation on a tough tour in which he has found little swing and his elder brother, Tom, has decamped to the Caribbean for his first call-up with the senior squad.

Michael Hussey, the BBL winning captain, has said that joining Sydney Thunder is the “best decision” he has made

Will Macpherson24-Jan-2016Michael Hussey has admitted that Sydney Thunder were “below ground zero” when he had joined the side. Two seasons on, he departs Thunder, having been cellar dwellers in the tournament’s first four seasons, as champions. Hussey has also said that joining the club is “the best decision” he has made.”Sometimes the most challenging and hardest decisions turn out to be the best,” he said. “I’ve learnt so much about myself as a person and learnt so much about what it takes to build a winning team and it’s been a great education for me. I’m just really proud of everyone and happy for everyone that has been involved.”This is what you plan for and you hope to achieve but when you actually do it, it takes a bit of time for it to sink in. There’s been a bit of heartache along the way, but to reach the summit with these guys has been reward for a lot of hard work, not just by the player but by the backroom staff too.”Hussey walked out to bat to a guard of honour, and left the field, with the game still not won, to a standing ovation. While flattered and a touch bashful afterwards, Hussey was, as ever, keen to deflect attention from himself, and admitted his head was thoroughly in the game.”That was all really nice,” he said. “As I was walking out it wasn’t something I was expecting. So it was a nice touch. As I walked off I was more annoyed with myself for playing such a silly shot at that stage and I wanted 35 more runs. But I did think to myself I’ve got to give myself a couple of moments and soak this in because this is an amazing stadium to play at and as a player it’s a privilege and honour to play on this hallowed turf. Soak it in, then the stress started again as we had to get those 35 runs.”Without question, Hussey leaves Thunder in good shape. They have benefitted from a well-balanced, experienced list (at an average of 33y, 52d, theirs was the oldest team to play a T20 final) that has not been hit too hard by national call-ups.What would the younger players learn from playing with him. “A good work ethic,” Hussey said.”To keep calm under pressure. That it’s important to have good players, but equally important to have good characters in a successful team. That’s what we have tried to bestow on our players. To win humbly, be modest, be respectful of the game and each other.”There remains a nagging sense that Hussey is not quite done yet. He said ending now was “all part of the plan,” but is so fit and able that it feels almost wasteful to bid him farewell. “I was going to finish last year but through succession planning and building the squad further it was prudent to play one more season. It’s never been about me, it’s about building the club for sustainable success. There’s no point hanging on too long.”

India will tour Zimbabwe for a series of five one-dayers starting July 24 and ending on August 3, the BCCI has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2013

Schedule

• July 24 – 1st ODI, Harare

• July 26 – 2nd ODI, Harare

• July 28- 3rd ODI, Harare

• July 31 – 4th ODI, Bulawayo

• August 3 – 5th ODI, Bulawayo

India will tour Zimbabwe for a series of five one-dayers starting July 24 and ending on August 3, the BCCI has confirmed. It will be India’s next international assignment after their tri-series in the West Indies that concludes on July 11.The first three one-dayers will be played in Harare, with the last two in Bulawayo. India had confirmed their tour following a BCCI working committee meeting earlier this month. The trip had earlier been put on hold, with the board citing the ‘fatigue factor.’ It is uncertain at this stage if the selectors will stick to a full-strength squad.When India last went to Zimbabwe, in 2010, Suresh Raina captained a young side, and didn’t make it to the final of the one-day tri-series.

Mohammad Ashraful hit an unbeaten half-century before rain brought an early end to Bangladesh’s second Twenty20 warm-up match of the day

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2012
ScorecardMohammad Ashraful hit an unbeaten half-century and Elias Sunny tied down the NCU President’s XI top order before rain brought an early end to Bangladesh’s second Twenty20 warm-up match of the day. The players were forced off with 13.2 overs bowled, with the Bangladeshis awarded a 48-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method.NCU lost opener Rory McCann to the third ball of the reply and the batsmen struggled to deal with Sunny’s left-arm spin, as he took two wickets in consecutive overs, as well as bowling a maiden. Andrew White was 19 not out when the rain came, with Andrew Poynter having just departed. With 104 required from less than seven overs, NCU’s task already looked beyond them.Bangladesh had already beaten an Ireland XI earlier in the day, chasing down 104, and they proved equally adept at setting a target. Ashraful only hit four boundaries in his 52 but Mahmudullah scored 43 off 27 balls and Ziaur Rahman cleared the ropes twice in his 22, as the tourists completed their preparations for the T20 series against Ireland.

The ICC has given its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game

Osman Samiuddin30-Jun-2011The ICC has given its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game. At its ongoing annual conference in Hong Kong the ICC unanimously supported the proposal to amend its constitution for member boards to have free elections.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, called it a “significant issue” in which, “by the end of 2012, all member boards must have changed or adopted their constitution to comply with the provisions of free elections and non-interference from government bodies”.The boards most affected by the change are those of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; in Pakistan the president of the country appoints the board chairman; in Sri Lanka the board is effectively answering to the sports ministry; in Bangladesh all board presidents are government-appointed.The trio had reservations about the proposal when it was first put forth in a February ICC meeting, though by April, the Pakistan board was the only one formally objecting to it. Soon after the April 4 meeting, Pakistan had sent the ICC a legal notice arguing against the proposal; in effect, they said, they had been asked to remove the head of the country from the constitution of the board. The board also argued that the interpretation of ‘government interference’ – on security matters for example – could be a murky area.However a series of very low-key but crucial meetings since then with the ICC, as initially reported by ESPNcricinfo, have led to both sides finding a way forward; the ICC has asked member boards to implement the provisions by June 2012 but given them a grace period of an extra year till June 2013 before the possibility of sanctions will be considered. This was a deadline suggested by the three boards. If, by June 2012, enough progress has not been made on the provisions according to the ICC, they will then provide a generic constitution to the boards and ask them to work towards implementing that within the following year. Failing that, the possibility of sanctions – and suspension of membership – remains.”We had discussions with the ICC over the last few months and we worked on extending the deadline for this amendment,” Subhan Ahmed, the Pakistan board’s chief operating officer, told ESPNcricinfo. “This now gives us time, effectively 24 months, to discuss with our own government what the ICC wants and how to go about implementing that.”The prospect of changing the PCB constitution to remove the role of the president is not a straightforward one but the ICC is willing to work with Pakistan – and other boards if needed – in bringing about the change. “As every other board, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is agreeing to it, then we will also try to implement it as much as is possible and the ICC might also be willing to facilitate,” Ahmed said. One of the ideas discussed includes the possibility of ICC officials visiting Pakistan to explain to the government precisely what the changes imply.The change is something the ICC has been keen on for some time, to try and bring governance of cricket in line with other global sporting bodies such as FIFA and the IOC.Lorgat said there would be no immediate sanctions and an assessment of progress would be made only after 24 months. “In the next 12 months, boards should be working towards free elections and we will assess the matter again in the 2012 annual conference … we will try and assist those boards for another 12 months before we apply any sanctions.”When asked how the ICC and member boards would stay clear of government involvement and yet permit the non-compliance over bilateral series in the FTP due to political problems between nations like India and Pakistan, Lorgat said, “I fully realise it is a complex topic and that is why we have allowed for boards to debate, discuss and consider this issue over the next 12 months with their respective authorities.”We will provide whatever support we can but I do believe it is a step in the right direction. We will work with those boards that need to unravel themselves from government departments.”Lorgat called it the “first step” towards better governance across cricket. “A start in trying to achieve good governance is that governing boards are governed by themselves, in other words, non-interference. So that through a democratic election process you get the right people to run the sport in the country. That’s the first step. Thereafter those people have to engage with their counterparts in world cricket to ensure that they govern professional cricket in the best possible way.”

International cricket’s most intense rivalry is back after nearly a year in cold storage

Siddarth Ravindran in Dambulla18-Jun-2010International cricket’s most intense rivalry is back after nearly a year in cold storage. A glut of matches in the middle of the previous decade had taken the edge off, perhaps reaching its lowest ebb during a drab series on lifeless pitches when Pakistan visited India in late 2007. That contest had a famous flash point in Kanpur, when two men with volatile temperaments clashed – Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi had a verbal spat, after which the two players collided when Gambhir was going for a single leading to another heated argument.At that stage, Gambhir was an angry young man still trying to establish himself in the Indian side after a stop-start career over five years, while Afridi was the senior most player in the Pakistan team, reportedly sulking over being passed up for captaincy and for whom maturity seemed forever elusive.Today, Gambhir has made himself a vital part of the Indian batting machine in all formats; a versatile player capable of playing in second gear or fifth. Coach Gary Kirsten helped him shed his insecurity about his place in the XI; a dream run of eight centuries in 13 Tests lifted him to the No. 1 ranking, and the weakness outside off stump which made people question his ability at the international level has been ironed out.In a line-up lacking the experience of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, he has already spoken of the extra pressure on him at the top of the order, stressing after the Bangladesh victory that one of the top three needs to play a long innings for the team to succeed on the trying Dambulla track.Afridi, meanwhile, has emerged as the most important player in Pakistan, elevated to captain even in a format he hasn’t played for four years, and charged with the weighty responsibility of keeping together a dressing-room pulling in different directions.His storied career has seen a few more highs and lows, from the sobered down batting allied with canny legspin that fetched him Man-of-the-Match awards in the semi-finals and finals of Pakistan’s glorious 2009 World Twenty20 campaign, to the infamous ball-biting incident of abysmal Australian tour.Importantly, in a tournament where the quality of floodlights has grabbed as many headlines as the play on the field, both batsmen have already played substantial innings batting second.Gambhir was happy that the easy opener against Bangladesh means defeat in the pressure-cooker match against Pakistan won’t be the end of the tournament for India. “It’s an important match, more pressure will be on Pakistan since its do-or-die for them,” he said. “We will try and continue the momentum gained from the win against Bangladesh. Playing Pakistan is a big game. Hopefully we will deliver the goods.”The good news for Pakistan was that during practice Afridi showed no signs of the cramps that hampered him as he carved out a classic one-day innings in the tournament’s first match. His practice was a carefree hitting session, carting the Sri Lankan net bowlers and his team-mates around.Unlike the previous time these two sides clashed, in the Champions Trophy in South Africa last September, when several Pakistan players were quite vocal about how badly they wanted to beat India, the build-up to this match has been somewhat subdued. Afridi did not join in the hype that precedes every India-Pakistan clash. “We know what to expect from India – we need to be at the top of our game to compete,” he dead-batted to the media.Afridi has played against India more often than any other team in one-dayers, playing them everywhere from Abu Dhabi to Toronto, but it’s unlikely he has done so in front of an empty stadium. The stands were nearly deserted during the India-Bangladesh game, and in an effort to avoid a repeat for what should be a keenly followed match on television, the organisers have allowed spectators free entry into most sections of the stands.

Freya Kemp set to return to allrounder ranks, side strain rules out Mahika Gaur

Valkerie Baynes20-Jun-2024Sophia Dunkley has been recalled to England’s T20I squad less than a week after earning an ODI return for the upcoming series against New Zealand, where Freya Kemp is set to feature as an allrounder as she continues her return from a back injury.England’s 16-strong squad for the five-match T20 series is otherwise unchanged to the one which defeated Pakistan 3-0 last month.Mahika Gaur, the 18-year-old fast bowler who has been absent from England’s squads this year while completing her A-Levels, will have finished her exams by the time the T20Is start but was left out of the squad due to a side strain.Kemp, the 19-year-old left-arm seamer, returned home early from England’s tour of the Caribbean in December 2022 with a back stress fracture after making her international debut against South Africa during the English summer earlier that year, and impressing against India a few months later when she became the youngest England player, male or female, to make a T20I half-century.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

She bowled during England’s tour of India in December 2023 but subsequently suffered a flare-up in her back and has since played as a batter only for England A during their tour of New Zealand and for England Women in the Pakistan series, as well as in regional cricket.Jon Lewis, England’s head coach, said he hoped to include Gaur in squad activities as she continues her development. Gaur made her ODI debut for England against Sri Lanka last September, having made her England T20I debut earlier in Sri Lanka’s tour after playing 19 games in the shorter format for UAE.”This five-match series against a strong New Zealand side is really important for us and also vital preparation as we build towards the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh,” Lewis said. “We are pleased to welcome Freya Kemp back as an allrounder and we will hopefully see her bowl across this series as she returns from injury.”Sophia Dunkley comes back into the squad after showing good form at regional level, she has earned the right to be in this squad. Mahika Gaur is not available to play due to a small side strain. We will look to have her in and around the squad preparing to return to play.”Related

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Dunkley was last week named in England’s ODI squad to face the White Ferns after losing her place during England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. She was added to the 50-over squad for the last two games of England’s three-match series with Pakistan last month, but didn’t play in either – she was named 12th for the second fixture in Taunton, which was washed out after 6.5 overs.That followed a run of strong performances for South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, where she is the competition’s leading run-scorer with 293 runs at 97.66 and a strike rate of 83.00, with a century and a fifty to her name. She has also scored 200 runs in the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition at 28.57 and a strike rate of 120.48 with two half-centuries.England Women squad: Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice ⁠Capsey, Charlie ⁠Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie ⁠Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, ⁠Bess Heath, Amy ⁠Jones, Freya ⁠Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danielle Wyatt

His contract period, running from April 8 to July 31, will include overseeing World Cup qualification tournaments

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2023Doug Watson, the Auckland Aces coach, will oversee Scotland’s twin bids to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup, after agreeing to a short-term contract to become their interim head coach.Watson, 49, enjoyed an extensive domestic career in South Africa and has previously held coaching roles with Mumbai Indians, Wellington, Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland and Namibia. He has been Auckland’s coach since June 2022 and stepped in as New Zealand’s batting coach during their recent drawn Test series against England.Shane Burger, Scotland’s coach since 2019, stepped down earlier this year to take over as Somerset’s batting coach. He signed off with silverware last month, as Scotland lifted the Cricket World Cup League 2 title in Nepal.Related

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Watson’s contract will run from April 8-July 31. The global qualifier for the 2023 ODI World Cup will be held in Zimbabwe in June-July, while the European qualifier for the 2024 T20 World Cup takes place in Edinburgh in late July.”I’m really thankful to everyone at Auckland Cricket for allowing me to pursue this opportunity with Cricket Scotland,” Watson said. “It’s a wonderful chance for me to coach another country, and Scotland’s Men have been doing really well over the last four years.”I know it’s obviously a short period of time that I’ll be in charge, but there’s two massive tournaments coming up which will be tough for us, especially the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June. But it’s also an exciting time as well – I’m looking forward to it and it’s going to be fun.””We conducted a very thorough hiring process and looked at around forty-five candidates,” Toby Bailey, Cricket Scotland’s interim head of performance, said. “We wanted someone who’d been previously involved with coaching smaller teams, with associate cricket, with experience of World Cup Qualifying competitions, with knowledge of top-level cricket, and with experience of Zimbabwe.”Doug really fit the bill in all those cases. We had some of the men’s players on the interview panel, which I think was really important for them to be involved with, so that they had some buy-in as to who will be coaching them for the next four months. The Auckland Aces have a very good coaching system, and a testament to that is Doug’s recent involvement with the Black Caps in the series against England.”

Luke Ronchi says that leaving the ball early on forced the Bangladesh bowlers to bowl to the New Zealand batters’ strengths

Mohammad Isam09-Jan-2022New Zealand are on their way to a mammoth first-innings total against Bangladesh in Christchurch, and they have set it up by doing what they are happiest doing: stick to their basics and forcing the bowlers to bowl at them.According to batting coach Luke Ronchi, the trio of Tom Latham, Will Young and Devon Conway left the ball well early in their respective innings, which frustrated the bowlers. They lost Young for 54, but rode on Latham’s unbeaten 186 and Conway’s 99 not out to end the first day on 349 for 1.Related

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“A massive part of it was to do the basics well and right for a long period of time,” Ronchi said. “We did it quite well at the Mount [Maunganui] but we let ourselves down in periods that brought Bangladesh back into the game. We did it for the whole day today. The guys were amazing.”We also put pressure on to their spin bowling. In the last game, we let them bowl a bit too much. Today, there was a bit of emphasis on putting him [Mehidy Hasan Miraz] under pressure so that they bring on the quick bowlers back a bit more. It worked quite nicely for us today.”The plan to take on Mehidy paid off, as the offspinner had none for 95 from his 25 overs, having conceded nine fours and a six.It was particularly crucial for Latham to get a big score following his failures in Mount Maunganui. This was Latham’s first hundred as a Test captain too, and one that came in a pressure situation, after he had lost the toss.”Leading into the series, his mindset has been amazing. We had some work between Tests. What we saw today was amazing,” Ronchi said. “You will get a bit of luck on green surfaces but also you have make the most of it. Some of his drives, the sound it made off the bat was awesome. It was a fantastic day for both Tom, Devon and Young.”I have seen some amazing innings from him [Latham] in all formats. He has the temperament and confidence through the work he puts in between Tests. His numbers as a New Zealand opener is fantastic. He is a good leader in the group.”Ronchi didn’t expect Conway to be too perturbed about being on 99 overnight.”Dev is a different individual. He is more than happy to be on whatever score, and still be batting,” Ronchi said. “He will have his sleep tonight, and start again tomorrow. He will just be Devon Conway. He has put out some outrageous numbers from the winter to this summer. It is a pleasure watching him bat.”With 186 against his name, and New Zealand likely to look to bat Bangladesh out of the game, Latham could well have a really big score lined up.”Just let him get as many as he can,” Ronchi said. “You always want to see things like that [the triple-century mark] broken. It is about doing his processes as he has done so well in this innings, and starting again tomorrow. It is the best way we perform. Keep batting and make a really substantial team score.”

The current hope is that Marsh will be available for the Sheffield Shield which will start next month

Andrew McGlashan and Dan Brettig24-Sep-2020Cricket Australia is working with the IPL to organise how they will get injured allrounder Mitchell Marsh back home where he will then have to quarantine for two weeks as he begins his rehabilitation from the ankle problem that curtailed his tournament after just one match.Under normal circumstances the logistics would be simple with Marsh getting a flight back to Western Australia as soon as possible, but in the Covid-19 landscape there is significantly reduced commercial air travel and government-enforced restrictions on getting back to Australia. When the players travelled from the UK after the limited-overs tour they shared a private chartered flight with the England cohort.ALSO READ: Injury, illness, selection: the ups and downs of Mitchell MarshIf Marsh is to return directly to Perth he will have to get exemption from the Western Australian government then quarantine for two weeks. The other option is he could fly to Adelaide and be based at the hotel at the ground where the members of the Australia squad who came straight back from the UK are currently doing their quarantine period.However, under the latter arrangement Marsh would then have to do a further two weeks isolation in Perth when he returns home as Western Australia currently has a hard border to all other states.Marsh injured his ankle in his opening over of the IPL playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challenges Bangalore in Dubai. He could only send down four deliveries and though he hobbled out to bat at No. 10 subsequent scans confirmed the fears expressed by the Sunrisers’ captain David Warner that his tournament was over.A CA spokesman said at this early stage the aim was for Marsh to play in the Sheffield Shield which will start early next month. There will be four rounds of the tournament played in an Adelaide-based hub at three grounds in the city ahead of the start of the international summer.That is set to begin with white-ball matches against India in late November – which are expected to be in Brisbane – before the first of four Tests starting around December 17 with the opening game of the series also slated for Adelaide. The India schedule is awaiting final sign-offs at government level.The Sheffield Shield programme will give up to seven members of Australia’s likely Test starting XI – Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – a chance to tune up their red-ball skills.